Scarlet Soul
by Silewolf
Summary: (DISCONTINUED. I'm planning to rewrite this one) She's left Sam and joined another team... for a personal reason. With a thief as a friend and his sercretive Decepticon partner by her side, Mikaela can't put her guard down for a second. And now, with all the Decepticons rising from the dead, she has to be extra careful, as an ancient enemy is lurking nearby.
1. Chapter 1: Under the Blade of Unicron

**Reference: I don't own Transformers. All of the characters, with the exception of two major OC's, and the cover image belong to Hasbro.**

**Rating: T for language and violence in some chapters.**

**Updates: every weekends.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**Under the Blade of Unicron**

Run away... All he could do now was run away from the humans hot on his tail. They were pointing baseball bats at him and hurling the randomest of things that could fit in a child's hand. Starscream winced as a hard stone scratched the surface of his shoulder plating, but kept going until one of the pursuers, apparently the leader of the gang, shouted to the group.

"You guys, give him no mercy!" he ordered, pointing his baseball bat at the kids' target. "Let's show him who's boss on our planet!"

"Yeah!" the children cheered in unison.

Starscream slid round a corner, entering a narrow alley, with the humans gaining on him. He felt new hope at the sight of a tall fence blocking the way. Activating the engines on his back, the mech descended into the air right above the wooden barricade and glided across the road until he got to the other side. He vented hot air in relief when heard the chase curse and hurl insults behind the fence.

_'First those "protectors of the law" try to capture me, then a pair of thieves try to catch me, and now some tiny worms dare to ambush me for no reason at all!' _the Seeker thought, clenching his fist. _'Grr... 'If I hadn't lost my original form, I would tear you bone by bone, puny insects!' _

Starscream halted in the middle of a sandy path. He didn't remember either having ended up in that street before, or recall the two-story private houses built in a circle around the tiny park. Apparently, the 'Con had stopped in the very center of the green area. He couldn't get his optics off a miniature fountain that was sprinkling water onto his faceplates. Jumping to the pool's edge, the runaway watched how the liquid was changing colors from red to purple in a slow motion. With the corner of his optic he noticed a row of four benches a bit farther from the decoration; their white forms were glittering in the shadows of the tall thick bushes behind. The lamp posts weren't functioning for some odd reason, but the mech appreciated the darkness as long as humans didn't spot him. For Spark's sake, he didn't want to go through THAT again.

_'My energy levels are at forty five per cent. At least five per cent had been vasted on that short flight. I must find some Energon in the nearest two days,'_ Starscream pondered, slamming his fist against the stone. _'I don't know where to begin! There are no Autobots or Decepticons to steal from in this town!'_

He checked his surroundings for any signs or at least adverts with hints on his present location. There seemed to be a poster "Best Wheel Deals! Bobby" attached to a garage on the other side of the road, but the other part of the text was crossed out with a black marker. Starscream scanned the area for more clues; none of the shop advertisements spoke of the town's name.

_'This is ridiculous! For two days I've searched this Pit and found no road signs —none! Could this be one of those Autobot experiments?' _the Seeker wondered. _'Grr, if they're really are toying with me, they're making the greatest mistake in their life cycle!' _

Suddenly, he heard a whisper that his audios weren't able to decipher. Whoever was speaking, their language was neither of Transformer nor of human origin. However, the conversation soon became undestandable to the mech as the speaker had instantly switched to English.

Starscream let out a muffed groan when the radars claimed no Autobot, Decepticon, or Neutral present in the nearest two city blocks. If nobody was closeby, how could he be hearing their talk?

"You must collect all Spark chambers you find, Colonel. Only then I shall grant your desired request. If you truly deserve my respect, then no issues will occur during the quest of the M—"

"My liege, the government cannot be fooled for too long. They might suspect us of poaching if we continue hunting Transformers down. Besides, we have gathered enough forces already."

'_Spark chambers!? What are these humans up to?'_ Starscream screamed in his mind.

He felt his Spark constrict from all the pressure, forcing the mech to claw his other servo in order to calm the rapid beating in his chest plates.

"They are already suspecting us, and I thank your failure with the Pulsar Cannon and the Seekers. If the trophy is not retrieved till next Sunday, you will be first to perish in the Pits of Kaon along with the other useless lab rats!"

The named 'Con sharpened his audios. A voice of wisdom was telling him to skedaddle and never return to the park, no matter the consequences. However, he continued eavesdropping on the hiding duo until a rustling sound caught him off guard.

Curse his curiosity!

Hunkering down before the fountain, Starscream watched with utmost attention as a tall figure slowly made his way through the bushes to the benches. Nothing could be seen under his cloak, nothing other than a pair of shimmering in different shades of purple optics, which were gazing at the night sky without blinking. The persona turned his head away from the stars. Step by step he approached the fountain and unsheathed a silver sword, tossing the scabbard onto the ground. White Energon stains were flashing on the razor-sharp blade's tip.

Starscream's frame froze stiff as a weak tremor reached his shaky pedes. His logic circuits were screaming, "Run away!", but the heavy look of the knight had completely immobilized him. Now he was under the blade of Unicron himself with no way of escape.

"Did you really think you could hide from me for long, Seeker?" the persona questioned, coming closer to the mech. "I have survelliance monitoring every street and sewer on the entire planet."

The persona made another step closer to the flier; red armor was flashing from under the cloak.

"I should have dealt with you the first day we met. There is no use for you."

"W-What are you talking about?! We have never met before!" the Decepticon claimed. "This must be a misunderstanding!"

Starscream stumbled on a tree branch. Soon he met the sword's edge pointing at his chest. The mech tried activating the Null Ray, the machine gun, the claw blades, but none of them responded. All he earned in response were clicks, error messages, and sometimes even silence! In addition, the enraged captor hadn't reacted lightly to his claims.

Raising the blade into the air, he barked to the flier, "Out of all traits I despise in our race, cowardice is the one that sickens me to the core of my Spark."

"Makes me wonder what the other _devilish _traits you hate are."

The cloaked man withdrew his weapon as soon as he heard another voice. All eyes were directed to a grey and blue winged mech aiming a blaster at his head. A Mini-Con faction insignia was flashing on the robot's chest.

Starscream averted his gaze to the captor and noticed a glint of purple in the persona's optics. With a single hand movement he withdrew the sword and stuck it into the ground right before the Seeker's optics.

"Pitying Decepticons, Sonar? How low have you fallen to rescue these thugs. This, however, is your last **mission**!"

"We'll see about that!" Sonar roared in response.

They charged at each other without any weapons. Sonar unleashed a straight punch into the captor's chest while the other answered with a foot to his abdonem. The mechs were delivering blow after blow, almost knocking one another off feet. Sonar nailed the rival into the chin before pressing a gun against his shoulder. Starscream frowned as a click echoed throughout the field. His venting slowed when the minion bent backwards, balance lost, hands relaxed. A cloud of sand filled the air when he collided with the ground.

Starscream had been watching the battle from behind a tree yards away from the field. He was gawking at Sonar approaching the sword, wings quivering in curiosity. To go, or not to go? The Seeker couldn't decide; his servos were itching to finish that Mini-Con off, but the mysterious savior hadn't gained enough trust yet.

"I found you!"

The mech stopped dead as a soft hand touched his left wing. Starscream felt a weak shock go from its tip till his very feet. He spun on his heel and backhanded the sneak with his optics dimmed. With a low yelp the person landed onto the grass, yet the Seeker didn't care to look at the human. He rushed out of the park towards the parking lot. Red striped signs were coming in the way; the flier knocked each of them out the road till a white and crimson tape caught him by wrist and pulled the Seeker back.

His CPU was sending warnings and error messages about incoming danger. Something soft and feeble was sagging under his weight; first came a weak whine, which was followed by a grinding sound of metal. The cover broke into two and he began falling into the tiny pit.

"Oh frag!" he screamed at the top of his audios.

Starscream grabbed hold of the hatch's edge and tried climbing out, but a boot with iron chains stepped on his digits. Even though he was hiding in the shadows, the human's red beret was still visible to the flier.

"You ought to hide before my crimson friend finds and destroys you like that brave soldier," the man suggested, bending down to the 'Con. "Don't let him get you back."

The Seeker cocked his head to the right in confusion.

"Wait!" he pleaded. "What are you saying?!"

But the human never answered. He pressed his foot on the Decepticon's fingers, forcing Starscream to let go of the chute. One digit gave away then another till only two were left. He sent a glare to the man, hissing, "I'll make you pay for this."

"I know."

Starscream released the supporting panel. He was falling into the void; his wings were scratching against the narrow tube. A sharp pricking went through the flier's feet as he landed on the wet floor. He gazed up only to see the man closing the hatch with a manhole cover.

"HUMAN!" the Decepticon roared.

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><p><strong>Author's note: I appreciate all reviews and would like to improve my writing, so f<strong>**eel free to post your opinions and suggestions!**

**[Last edited: 23.05.2015]**


	2. Chapter 2: Father's Daughter

**Chapter 2**

**Father's Daughter**

Mikaela always wondered what the left behind by her father badge meant to him. Just a glance at the red cat-claw-shaped item could tell it had no huge value, so why did he ask to cherish such a piece of junk for the rest of her life? No sense, his words had no meaning at all. The girl covered her face with a palm. Why did she even bother surfing the Net for any clues?

"No, not kids' toys... No, no way, it's not a camp badge either... What could you be hiding, father?" Mikaela mused aloud while clicking on random images in the search results. She wiped her sweaty forehead with a tissue and continued the research. "Come on, there must be something about you."

"The library's closing in ten minutes. Do not forget to log off before you leave!" the librarian shouted from the desk.

"Oh man, now what? — Huh?"

Mikaela dropped the mouse on the floor. A phone was ringing in her jacket pocket, making the other people shoot her a warning glare. The girl texted her friend with hope of getting them to stop disturbing the readers' golden silence.

_"Allie, I'm in the library. What is it?"_ Mikaela sent.

As she had expected, the answer arrived in a matter of seconds, _"Just wanted to know where we meet up. You know, to talk about the files we bought yesterday."_

_"Don't tell me you found something,"_ came up the answer. Other people kept staring at how fast and hard the woman next to them was tapping on the iPhone's screen, but soon returned to their activities.

_"Yeah, found an article about those thieves. You better come and see what Nolan's dug up in the site reviews. You aren't going to like it, Mika."_

Mikaela frowned after having read the message. Something was up, and it wasn't pleasant news. Hesitating a bit, she wrote a hopeful favor, _"Tell me. Maybe it's not as bad as it looks. Is it about the game in Chicago?"_

Either Allison was busy writing the whole script of the event, or she was planning out a short explanation of the plan. Mikaela bit her lip; she was hoping to see the second option.

_"Partly. Guess someone doesn't watch the news. Anyway, some old geezer claimed he heard wolfs growl in the Metropolis Park this morning. I wanna' check it out. Naturally, the cops are already there, so why not keep them company?"_

_"Sure, whatever. Just don't get into trouble, okay?"_

_"I'll be fine. See ya at the mart."_

The girl couldn't help but hide her face with her hands. She shook her head and looked once again at the crimson insignia on the table. Mikaela cursed at a sudden stupid, as it appeared to be, thought.

_'You wouldn't leave to steal cars again, would you?'_

"Certainly," the archivist's voice interrupted her from the work. "Is it the history of the Triptych?"

Triptych - a piece of art divided into three sections. The man reflected in the darkened computer screen resembled more a soldier than an artist. Of course, paintings were objects of some trooper's interest, but the glittering leaf green glasses covering the visitor's eyes just screamed for a certain watcher's attention. In order to please her curiosity, she had to spy on the target with utmost attention.

"Yes, Madam. Would it be possible to borrow the third volume? I am in desperate need of one copy for a project," the researcher asked. He took out a golden triangular slab out of his pocket and showed it to the woman, adding, "What would be your... answer?"

The librarian's usually kind expression vanished. She appeared to be neither calm, nor furious or even startled. Other visitors were staring at the woman as if they had seen a mad doctor in action . Taking a few shaky steps back, she blinked a few times before losing the balance and falling onto a filled with books box. Every person in the library hurried to the blacked out owner's aid. Particular readers, however, had many other important duties to attend.

Mikaela ran through the group with her eyes for the target. He wasn't among them! Then, she finally realized where the man had run off to.

"Damn, the triptych!" the girl cussed, speeding towards the history section.

Past the old shelves and books, past the boring biography area, she rushed downstairs to the basement's best collection. Long green paint trails, deep claw marks, crushed to dust vases greeted the runner as she advanced to the cellar door. Mikaela ducked; three neon green lasers cut through a painting behind her. The girl wouldn't dare to get up. She saw the cloaked man —was he a man at all? — aim a blaster mounted in his arm at her.

"The Triptych coding... all mine. My Liege should be pleased. That is, when I eliminate you first, human," he said with a devious chuckle, the gun not moving an inch from the hostage's face. "I don't pity innocent yet annoyingly weak brats."

"Why are you hunting Transformers down, or are you one of **them** as well?" Mikaela questioned. _'Me and my big loud mouth.'_

To her greatest amazement, the gunner burst into a laughter, "Silly human! We're not the ones you seek... at this moment. However, your Sire has something I yearn to get my servos on. How desperate he will be when I bring my Liege your remains."

Caressing an ancient book in his right hand, the thief activated his cannon. Light energy was gathering in the depths of its core. Mikaela put her arm up to distract him, but it didn't work. She covered her eyes at the sound of the blaster firing.

A tight magnet pull sent the human flying into a nearby wall. The smell of fresh burnt metal and rubber forced her to drop the defenses. Neither the man nor his deadly weapon could be seen. He, unlikely, wasn't the main object of the girl's curiosity.

"This piece of trash... protected me from the blast?" Mikaela asked herself.

She rubbed the glowing badge in her palm. A sound, similar to the one of transformation, came from the claw.

"Wherever you are, you freak, I will find out and won't hesitate to use **this **against you. Mark my words."

Meanwhile, a certain teammate was in a middle of discovering more for the human triad. Hitting almost all keys on the keyboard at once, a guy smiled in triumph when a download window popped up in the laptop screen. He went through his short black hair with his fingers and slumped down into a chair.

"3:0 to me, Leo Spitz, or whatever you're called in the web. I still have a whole server to hack," he said with the same cocky smirk.

"Hey, Nolan! Look who I found!" a female voice made him jump from the comfortable position.

Nolan turned around, his eyes widening in surprise. Out of all mistakes his little sister had done, the one before him had knocked him out.

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><p><strong>Who's this odd man in disguise Mikaela met, and what's his goal? What or whom has Allison found? Find out in the next chapters! Please review as well!<strong>

**Note: the mysterious man is not a fan character. **


	3. Chapter 3: Dead End

**Note: I'm sorry for such a long delay. I had a very busy week. Anyway, enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Dead End**

The sirens of the police cars had subsided, a crowd of officers with five K-9 companions marched into the park. Having discussed the plan, which was impossible to hear due to them speaking in a low whisper, they divided into teams of five and headed out on the scout.

One of the men stepped on a manhole cover near the entrance and shouted for his partner to catch him as the iron plate flipped open under his foot. Being quick to react, the second cop secured him by the armpits. The duo exchanged glances for a moment; that tricky sewer cover stayed on its place, yet they were positive a heavy object dove underwater. Whatever sunk into the greasy pool, they had no time to find out. Taking their belongings and helping each other out, the policemen left the hatch without even catching a growl come from the hole.

All right, hiding in a sewage system wasn't such a brilliant idea after all. Starscream splashed his servos in the water; there was no way he could get past the government's forces without being noticed now.

"Now that's what I call a real... bomber."

His audios received a reading of a human voice. He could not distinguish whether it belonged to a male or a female, as the manner of speaking and the tone blended into a combination unknown to him.

The Seeker spun to the left - no one; took a glance at the ceiling - only drainpipes, spider webs and some odd type of weed. He didn't have the slightest urge to fly and find out what the glowing plants could be. Then an idea struck his processor. He hadn't checked behind. Primus, he had repeated that awful mistake trice in a row. Starscream's venting slowed when a cold tip of a stick made contact with his wings.

Putting his hands into the air, he said loud and clear, "I surrender, human. Let us make a truce. You keep my existence a secret, and I do whatever you please."

"On the contrary, forget it. You're not the hot stuff I'm lookin' for."

"I do not follow you. What is it about me you want?" the mech asked, surprised by the sudden change of moods. The stick still remained pressed against his frame, yet an odd feeling was telling him the one speaking earned no pleasure from meeting a 'Con.

"Autobot or Decepticon? Who are you and why are you here?" the filled with venom questions pierced through his receptors. "Don't even think about lying to me. I hate liars, so I stomp their throats. You don't want this, do you?"

_'I do not recall meeting this fleshbag. Who does it think it is to threaten me? If only I knew what caused this defect... I am still in no position to order it around,'_ a thought ran through the captive's mind. Trying to calm his systems, he leveled his venting and finally answered, "Decepticon... I am a Decepticon warrior. I'm here on a quest."

"I think I warned you, little guy. Trust me; no Mini-Con has ever got away from our wrath. Tell me the truth or I-"

The Energon in the Seeker's lines began to boil. He no longer cared about the spear, the human or their warnings. The blades on his digit tips extended. Starscream spun around to face the insulter. His optics brightened in awe; how could he fall for such cheap trickery?

A red-haired young girl holding a plastic, as his scanners told, rod stood before him. Titling her head to the left, she took the lollipop in her mouth out and, spinning it around in her hand, stared straight into his optics, her faint grey eyes barely seen in the shadows of the pipes. She could definitely reach Witwicky's shoulder with her head, yet the fact he was a head shorter than that child infuriated the mech even more.

"I am no Mini-Con, you pathetic excuse of an insect! I am Commander Starscream, the true, ultimate ruler of the Decepticon race! I—" the Seeker bawled before covering his mouth with a free servo. _'If she works for NEST, I'm signing my own death note— Slag!'_

"Yeesh, I got it, I got it, don't bite my head off!" the tomboy said, adding emotion to her voice for the first time. "Need some help getting out of the goop?"

"Go to the Pits!" were the words she got in return. "I do not need _your_ help!"

"As you wish, asshole," the teen said, waving to the 'Con. "Bbye."

That word, that freaky familiar word which wouldn't escape his helm no matter how many times he tried. He felt the human's worried gaze fall like a heavy stone, similar to the one a child usually threw at the runaway in one of those fateful encounters. Sinking into the pool, Starscream hissed as a long lost memory replayed in his processor.

_-Flashback-_

A loud knock on a metal panel awoke the recharging Seeker. Jumping to his pedes into a defensive position, the Commander shrieked when his helm collided with the low ceiling. He fell on his backstrut at the sight of seven iron bars surrounding him in a circle. A dark blue mantle covered the cage, making the prisoner even more nervous.

"Have you completed project GammaZ, Gallant?" a male voice sounded in the room.

Even though the screams of two chains being pulled apart mixed with the human's speech, Starscream was still able to catch every single word he said. Coming closer to the cage's edge, he sharpened his audious to listen to the quieter Gallant's reply.

"Certainly not. Two subjects left, Colonel," his captor answered in a half robotic voice. "News from Liege?"

"Yes, our kindest Master wants you begin with the Seekers you found. According to the list he's sent me, first should be the one called Thundercracker."

"Not possible. I have not completed this project. So far, I have reactivated one in that cage. It is a failure."

"What?! Don't tell me you've messed up!" the Colonel yelled at the top of his lungs. "We can't lose any of those subjects! They don't just grow on trees, you know!"

"You did not let me finish. Failure means with defects in my vocabulary. You have any right to deactivate me for this error, unfortunately," Gallant paused. "Check for yourself."

Starscream backed away into the nearest corner as the visitor made his way to the cage, the noise of metal chains hitting against the steel floor following his every single step. A gloved hand pulled the sheet off the miniature jail, blinding light forcing the prisoner to cover his optics.

"Bye-bye, useless brat!"

_-End flashback-_

"Easy there, Stars. I don't bite even if I really want to."

Even though he couldn't see straight, the robot identified the grey material being rubbed against his helm as a towel. He didn't quite get the reason why that once careless of the jet's fate girl was now polishing his armor, until, of course, the mech's optics focused on the lower parts of his frame. They were all covered in Primus knew what.

"This is the worst solar cycle I recall from my data banks... Data banks... What has happened to them?" the Seeker mumbled in a trace. "Hold on a nano-click, why do you even bother helping a Decepticon like me?"

"Firstly, my designation, as you usually say," the teen almost shouted, crossing her hands, "is Kierra, not fleshling. Secondly, I'll win nothing from letting you swim in the mud."

Before the mech could throw a glare at her, Kierra jumped to her feet and lengthened the distance between herself and the alien. Starscream blinked twice; he didn't like that open in awe mouth of the girl, those bright beams illuminating the sewage, or that vicious roaring of a car engine.

"Don't move an inch, or he'll kill us," the human warned.

The duo kept cheer silence among themselves. Starscream was staring at Kierra, watching her eyes move from the left to the right in a very slow motion. Those shining lights wouldn't move an inch, wouldn't go dimmer, wouldn't react to their presence at all, but then, the flash of the car lights intensified. The girl shook her head, obvious disbelief reflected on her face.

"Target acquired. Engage immediate pursuit."

"Retreat! Retreat, you fool!" the Air Commander screamed, catching his companion by surprise. When the girl only answered with an unclear whisper, he shouted for her attention once more, "Kierra, snap out of it! I need you here!"

As if his words were a shot of a gun, the human returned to reality at once. Ushering another few words, she rushed straight to a cave with a lower ceiling, the mech following her step by step while watching their backs for the threat.

A police car was breaking through the metal sewage bars, and it was near passing the last gate. The lightbar on its roof was blazing in red and blue. It drove back a bit before ramming the obstacle at full speed, leaving nothing other than odd purple wheel tracks. Having spun three circles around in place, the wild machine bolted after its targets. Starscream read one line in white on a black background.

_To punish and enslave_

"Over here! Hurry, hurry!" Kierra shouted, interrupting the Seeker from his musings.

He hadn't noticed how deep into the labyrinth they had run. The human; he could not locate her. Even his scanners weren't picking up anything in the thick smog. Total nonsense began floating in his mind, giving the flier doubts about his ally. She must have considered leaving him behind as the best option, he had no other suggestions to make.

"Target. In. Sight."

Another flash was coming into view. Hiding his optics from the harsh light, the Seeker stopped in the very middle of the road. A crimson Peugeot 9009 had blocked the passageway. He soon heard the whistle of the Saleen's brakes. Neither car moved an inch. Both pursuers focused their flashlights on their target.

_'Barricade... Dead End... This cannot be true. They were both offlined in combat!'_ Starscream panicked.

"Mini-Con. To my side. NOW," Dead End barked in Cybetronian. "That's an order."

The Seeker withdrew to the police car's side only to hop back to his first position when Barricade released a warning horn. His rival didn't take the signal well.

"Barricade. Traitor," the Peugeot said in the same language. "Mini-Cons. Must. Capture."

"I wouldn't get on his bad side if I were you, Barricade."

Two humans and a tiny brown Transformer rushed to the red car's side. The male and the Mini-Con weren't registered in his data banks, but the female - he knew her all too well. Mikaela Banes, judging by her lost look, didn't recognize him, thankfully. She grabbed her small friend by the servo when it tried to approach the frozen trio.

"Don't, Longarm! He's not one of us!" Mikaela exclaimed.

"Yet," the male finished for her. "If he _is_ a Mini-Con, first of all, which I highly doubt."

"What do you mean, Nolan?" the girl questioned, her companion sharing her confusion by gawking at the guy. "Don't tell me the device Allison and Longarm brought was a fake!"

"Energy signature. Not Mini-Con," Dead End explained in his usual monotonous voice. "Decepticon. State designation."

The police, unfortunately, had second thoughts.

"Scan complete. Task: eliminate," Barricade interrupted.

The Saleen's doors flung open. Dead End hit the reverse, back to the humans, his wheels whistling from the sudden movement. Shifting to their real forms, the ex-comrades charged at each other, both seemingly forgetting about their main goals.

Starscream jumped aside as Barricade delivered a powerful uppercut to his rival's hanging lower jaw. Dead End didn't hold back. He retaliated with a greater knuckle punch right into the other's chest plating, but when the vampire was about to unleash another blow, the former 'Con fired several bullets through his shoulder. A noticeable shiver ran down Dead End's frame. His allies, to the Seeker's amazement, were cheering him on.

_'Dead End has joined the humans. Slag him! He's never been a worthy soldier,'_ the Air Commander thought, clenching his servo in anger. _'Those fleshbags are going to relook their choice when he gets out of control. Of course, you will be the first to suffer, Mikaela Ba—'_

Two warm hands grabbed and pulled him into the wall by the shoulders. Starscream had the urge to slash the person with his claws, until he heard the human hiss at him. He turned around to face her, and soon regretted doing that. It was Kierra, the same girl from before. He hadn't noticed it until she was up close. The teen had those eyes, the hungry red eyes of the Decepticons.

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><p><strong>Author's note: Why's Barricade attacking his comrades? Since when has Dead End joined up with the humans? Find out in the next chapter next week! <strong>

**Please leave your reviews as well. I appreciate all opinions, be they about the plot or the errors. I want to improve my writing.**


	4. Chapter 4: Crack Team's Recruits

**Author's note:**

**Thank you for your review, Starfire201! Also, thank you Lady Galaxious, and Leader of the Wolves; Shady Kitsune, Withengar, and Brittanyann200242 for following the story! You're the best, guys!**

**Here's chapter 4. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Crack Team's Recruits**

Mikaela watched out of the window as Tranquility was slowly vanishing into the horizon. They weren't coming back; she had understood that fact when Dead End mentioned the unavoidable pursuit after the team. For the sake of her friends, the girl had to leave, no objections about it. She had no other choice. Well, maybe not as reasonable as that one.

"You regret, don't you? You shouldn't," Nolan said with a weak smile. "There's nothing better than going on a drive round the states."

The girl gave her friend a bored look.

"Honestly, when was the last time you took anything seriously?" she asked, shifting her gaze to the driver. "Remind me cause I really don't remember."

"Pfft, and when I was trying to brighten things up," he grumbled, shaking his head for a while. "Unbelievable."

"What's so unbelievable about that?" his companion said, clueless about those words.

"I meant your reaction. You said the very same thing like seven years ago."

"You want me to say it again?"

"No, he. Does not," Dead End joined the conversation, sounding quite disturbed by the topic. "Do not. Argue."

The humans looked at each other, waiting for either of them to come up with a reply. As the girl believed, the Peugeot wasn't that much of a talker, but when the 'Con did take part in a chat, it meant he was either way too curious, disappointed or enraged like in the battle three hours ago.

"No one's arguing, big bud. Just talking. Relax," Nolan said, patting the car's dashboard in hope of calming him down.

"I do not get. You, humans. Too difficult. For Dead End to follow," the mech answered in a low tone.

"If you don't _get_ us, why join the team? Nobody forced you to, did they?" Mikaela asked, giving the driver a sharp look.

"No. My wish."

The girl couldn't help it; a question so meaningful was spinning in her mind like a record, yet she had no courage to present the idea. What if Dead End wouldn't catch the point? He used to be a Decepticon and a feared one. Then again, what reason for helping humans did he possess? A big mystery, maybe only for her because Nolan wasn't the kind of guy to learn everything from, especially if it had any sort of connection to others' personal lives. He, as many people would say, wouldn't let the cat out of the bag.

"Dead End, Nolan," Mikaela called out those names like she'd said them for the first time in her life.

Neither of the two uttered a word. The attention devoted to the mechanic was making her feel even more awkward. Having thought over her questions several times, she finally continued, "Why do you keep your partnership secret?"

"Err, what? Who told—" the guy paused. "Allison, I should've guessed...!"

"Listen, you two, we're a team. You know where I'm going, right?" his ally noted.

"Not a secret, human. Too unprocessable. For you," the mech interrupted in a monotonous voice.

With a loud 'Humph' the girl switched her attention to the sunset outside of the car. She couldn't cope with the men's stubbornness. What exactly would not their teammate understand? No, more important question; were they even a team? The mechanic had no clear idea if they needed her now. Maybe she was right; Nolan had those _friends_ who would come to his aid when any technical difficulties occurred.

The least thing she was expecting was the mentioned person proving her thoughts false by confessing, "Dead, she's right. We can say all we want in excuse, but she'll always be right. Know why?"

All of a sudden, the mech hit the brakes. Screaming for the 'Con to end the dangerous C turn maneuver, Mikaela covered her head in fear of flying off the road into the river downhill. She closed her eyes when the right front door collided with the cement barrier. All of the bags, suitcases, papers and maps started rattling in the backseat. The girl felt how the seatbelt was pressing against her chest, saving her from kissing the windscreen. She dared to open one eye only to see that blue abyss coming closer and closer.

"What's the big idea, Dead?! Turn on the gate already!" the driver yelled a bit louder than Mikaela for the mech to hear. "You'll kill us if you don't!"

The girl winced as the seatbelt's hold weakened. They weren't falling any more. That was a relief, for how long though. Uncovering her face, Mikaela's jaw dropped at the sight before her.

Apparently, Dead End had warped to an underground cave where a humongous gate locked the entrance to the other side. A unique purple shaped like an X gear was shining in the center of the door. The most eye-catching for the visitor was that eight-pointed star in the machine part's core. It was glowing in every single tone of purple, from violet to dark pink.

"The thingy —if I _can_ call it that— is a Quantum Lock. Designed by the Decepticons themselves. Really useful, no kidding," the guide explained, getting out of the car. "End of the line, partner."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, sure," the mechanic uttered, finally waking up from her thoughts.

Dead End jumped to his robot form right after the humans had reached a safe distance from the lock. Too curious to find out how the system functioned, the new teammate ignored Nolan's discussions about their previous chat and watched carefully as their alien companion took a fork-resembling item out of his, if she hadn't mistaken, subspace storage pocket. Without even taking a while to aim, he hurled the trident into the center of the device, shattering the thin glass cover.

"He broke the lock…" Mikaela whispered. "How are we—"

"Just watch already," her friend butted in, saying it as if things were so obvious, but not to his friend, unfortunately.

The device began spinning in place at the speed of sound. Quiet clicks and weak discharges were coming from the alien contraction. Then the cross divided into two sections and stopped in place. The doors slid back, revealing a gloomy passageway into the base.

She just stood there, in the middle of the road, the image of the shattering core staying as a fresh, unforgettable memory; until Nolan whistled to gain her attention.

"Cap Nolan to Mikaela Banes, come in. We are leaving. Repeat, we are leaving," he teased with a wide, comedian smile.

"Ha-ha," she laughed, her voice filled with sarcasm. "Really, your user is CptnDon101? How'd you come up with such a nick?"

"Puh-lease, it's better than LadiesMan217 in all da ways you can think of. Know why? Cuz it's-" he was interrupted by the girl's glare. "Geez... Fine, no more Ex talk, promise."

"Don't give me a reason to remember that day," she said through her teeth, clenching her fists. "Anyway, what is this place?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you yesterday. It's the new base where we work or, should I say, keep Mini-Cons away from those thugs," Nolan began, spreading his hands like a story teller beginning a long tale. "Thing is, we have only Longarm right now. Hope sis does keep him safe at home..."

"Wait, he's not one of those combiner Mini-Cons we're looking for?" the listener asked, earning a negative response. "You still haven't told me anything about the game, _Captain_."

The guy stomped the metal floor in anger.

"Oh, stop with the sarcasm! I'm being serious here!" the guide grumbled.

"Sure, whatever."

"As I was saying, some combiner Mini-Cons, —if Dead End's not kidding. He's usually serious though— can transform into some super cannon that can create a Ground Bridge. Yeah, it's a portal to another dimension," he retold. "We don't know who they are or what they want, but a delegation of people from the government wants that weapon... badly. Dead End thinks some Decepticons teamed up with them."

"I bet that creep from the library works in concert with them," Mikaela hissed, tightening her knuckle.

Nolan shrugged.

"Could be, but we can't be too sure."

"Hurry up. Humans," the ship's owner's displeased calls echoed in the corridor.

"Hey, we're not in a rush! There's plenty of time for everything," the girl answered.

"Never enough time. For anything. Too harsh life," the 'Con replied in a lowered tone. "No matter. Barricade data discovered."

"Yes, first catch for this week!"

Her partner sped down the hall without even caring to look back for the new girl in town. She didn't find running necessary, since the mission, no, the whole concept in general was new to her. Then again, all team members, though there were only the three of them, had to at least know the main objective; plus, if the team's leader hadn't lied, they would help her with the search of her missing father.

The mechanic rubbed her face to concentrate on the task. Those two found it important. So should she.

"Mikaela. State current position," Dead End ordered through the intercom. "Come to control bridge."

_'I must admit, he's not as careless about the mission as I thought. There must be a good reason for him to join Nolan in the first place,'_ the noob thought while sprinting towards the meeting point.

A shiny grey arch was coming into view. She dashed into the bright chamber only for Nolan to catch her by the hand. One more step and she could have fallen down the enormous staircase. The ship's owner was tapping some codes on a console below. A display which was around the size of two huge billboards connected together could be seen above the keyboard. Several control panels and dashboards on the wall to the left from the arch caught Mikaela's attention.

"Unbelievable... Dead, this doesn't make any sense at all!" Nolan exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air. "How could an offline robot beat you yesterday?!"

The 'Con returned his partner a look of disapproval, saying, "Dead End. Not skillful to battle. Barricade."

The mechanic checked the display and recognized the infamous Saleen. Her ally's guardian opened the whole profile, as she guessed, yet she wasn't totally convinced, because of the complex Cybertronian hieroglyphs.

"Transformers do not return. From Well of All Sparks. Unless turned Terrocon or resurrected by Primus," the robot clarified.

"He's like the god of Transformers?" Mikaela asked, winning herself a nod. "Alright, so you suggest the first option."

"Yes," the robot paused before saying, "and no. Terrocons are Transformers exposed to Dark En. Aka Dark Energon. Dark Energon never seen. Since Lord Megatron destroyed it."

"Damn, stuck in square one again!" Nolan cursed.

"Wait, you two," Mikaela said. "Remember how the AllSpark exploded in Megatron's chest? Optimus Prime found a fragment later."

"You mean, there could be shards of Dark En?" the guy asked.

"Possible. Sadly. Very possible."

* * *

><p>A shady figure ran down the forest path. Jumping onto a branch, then to another oak, it summersaulted down on a tall flat rock. Its green visor sparkled in the night's darkness when it read the text on the stone. Giggling like a maniac, it took out a coal black shard out of its subspace and planted it into the ground next to the grave. The crystal melted into a blue substance and soaked into the soft soil.<p>

"My Liege is in need of mighty soldiers. You've been chosen as a candidate," the character announced.

The grass in the area became silver colored. Even a weak tremor couldn't interrupt his speech.

"And the best of the best happen to side with the bearers of the pseudo-light," he continued.

Within a second, a dark figure warped to the waiting speaker's position. His servos, shoulder pads and knee joints were covered in nothing but rust, which was crumbling from the crystal's effects. A faded Autobot insignia forced the resurrector to frown a bit; until the taller mech roared right into his faceplates.

"Welcome to the Crack Team, Ironhide," the cloaked figure greeted with a sneer. "You have one day to find the girl and her Seeker Mini-Con."

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><p><strong>How come Dead End doesn't want to reveal the secret to Mikaela? Why does the Crack Team keep chasing Kierra and Starscream? Find out in the future chapters. <strong>

**Please review. I appreciate all opinions, error notes and suggestions. Tell me what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Matter of Fate

**Thanks again for your review, Starfire201!  
><strong>

**Here's the fifth chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**A Matter of Fate**

That girl. He couldn't lay an optic on her anytime in the day. She would always slip away from telling him more, by more the Seeker hoped hearing her alliance or at least the knowledge about Cybertron the teen had gained. Now, however, she was leading him through the narrow streets of the suburbs to a secret base, where the teen promised to finally reveal her motives.

Starscream had no idea whether the human had told him the truth or not. He cared less about his guide's own goals unless they involved the cursed Colonel and his petty slave, Gallant. They had honestly begun to worry him whenever the, maybe even unthreatening, duo reappeared as a daydream he couldn't get rid of.

The Seeker managed to forget about those two when Kierra joined his side.

"Listen, when we enter the base, promise not to freak out, okay?" the girl inquired, looking straight into his optics.

Even though her eyes were under the cover of a pair of sunglasses, the mech grew uneasy from remembering what was hiding behind the black cover.

"Why should I be cautious of some humans?" Starscream noted, crossing his servos. _'Who is she taking me for?' _

"You looked like you'd seen a ghost way back then. Err, in the sewers, remember?" the teen reminded.

"I did not!" he objected, extending his claws in anger.

Kierra backed away a bit before taking off the accessory. The Seeker couldn't hold back his confusion. He kept staring at those now grey eyes until she began giggling for some odd reason. Starscream ignored the laughing; the change in colors had really knocked him sideways.

Eventually, the teen got bored. She waved her hand in front of his faceplates, saying through a weak chuckle, "That was exactly what I meant."

When her follower didn't utter a sound, she added with a deep sigh, "I know, I know I have red eyes, but not all the time, so I'm not an alien or a Transformer. We ain't no Pretenders either; just humans with red, yellow and cyan eyes."

"Hold on a nano-click, there are more of you?!" the Seeker questioned.

Starscream hadn't noticed how they entered a street so narrow that his wings were scratching the cement walls. He saw no entrances into the two buildings, just some bags of trash were decorating the brick wall in the end of the alley.

As they were coming closer to the dead end, a golden sparkle caught the mech's optics. There really was a door, but the grey camouflage was blending in with the house's wall so much that not all scanners could locate it.

Kierra took out a gadget — or a phone, as the humans called it — and pressed its screen against the metal. Before the Seeker knew it, the door slid up, giving away the corridor.

"Well, are you waiting for an invitation?" Kierra said, pointing at the hallway. "After you."

"You go first," Starscream insisted while thinking, _'I do not know you well enough... yet.'_

"Pfft, fine," was all she could say.

The guide hopped over the threshold and headed straight at a slow pace. Her follower, unlike the girl, was almost stepping on her heels, pushing the teen to walk a bit faster. Kierra didn't seem to notice though as the ceiling was more worth of her attention. Curious, Starscream looked up as well only to see numerous burn marks left by laser blasters. Maybe the human hadn't been lying after all, since the holes in the cement most likely belonged to the Mini-Con faction.

Soon enough, the Seeker's audios read music playing not too far from their position. The lights in the passageway darkened. When they turned round the corner, a door came into view. A sign 'Millennium Labs' was hanging on the knob.

"Ugh, for reals? You have got to be kidding me," the teen grumbled, tearing the paper into millions of pieces. "You guys, what were you thinking!"

Kierra slammed the door open. Both her and her ally's jaws dropped at the scene before them: ten different Mini-Cons had surrounded two human males in a circle, their optics concentrated on the duo only. If they were the girl's friends, then she hadn't lied; the guys, like his guide had mentioned, had blue and yellow eyes. The taller one had a cyberglyph inscribed on his neck while his pal, who was wearing a yellow sports visor, possessed the same mark on his lower shoulder.

"What are you bozos up to again?" Kierra asked, coughing to sound less surprised. "Where'd _they_ come from?"

She had the room's full attention now, excluding their guest's.

"Oh, hi ya, Kia! Long time no see!" the short stuff greeted with a shout and a wave. "Just some friends Downshift, Six-Speed, Chace and I freed from a jail in the factories downtown."

"Those Autobots didn't know what hit them!" his pal cheered, leaning against a chair. "Bet we'll definitely find all the Mini-Cons now!"

The boys exchanged high fives with their robot team, but when Six-Speed, a half green, half white racer, tried cheering the girl up, he stopped in his tracks and pointed his digit at the mech behind Kierra's back, chirping to the other Mini-Cons. Downshift, the purple racecar in the corner of the room, aimed his laser at the Seeker's wing, answering in the same electronic language.

Chace cocked his head to the right and grabbed Six-Speed by the shoulder plate.

"Just a plain old Mini-Con, Downshift. Stand down and let them in," his pal asked with a genuine smile. "Don't cha melt down Kia's new Mini partner right away."

Even though he didn't seem to be convinced enough, the protector withdrew his weapon and vanished under the black curtain.

"I do not serve any human nor am I a Mini—" Starscream growled.

Kierra pressed her foot against his ped and pushed him to the entrance, much to the boy's confusion. The Seeker kept struggling, elbowing her into the spine until he realized: Downshift knew his identity and, obviously, didn't tolerate his kind.

_'He certainly does not stand Decepticons. I should consider keeping my alliance undercover'_, Starscream thought.

"We're here not for chit-chat, Jay, Chase, but for business," the teen announced, rubbing her back. "Got anything on a guy named Gallant or the Colonel?"

"Kierra, could ya at least name that _Colonel_? There're like trillions of colonels in the World!" Jay cried out, covering his face with his palm. "I mean—"

"Zip it, Jayson. You're only good at reading comics, nothing more," Chace commented. "Back to business."

He ran towards the PC in the back of the room and started it up. Six-Speed took a CD case out of his subspace and hurled it to the technician, then joined the guy's company with Kierra.

"Six-Speed and I haven't gathered that much data, but I'll show you what I was able to get from Sonar's last transmission," the guy explained his tone of voice suddenly grim and low. "Sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"Show me what you have," Kierra said as if the mysterious Sonar had never been mentioned.

The other Mini-Cons and Jay gathered before the screen pretty soon, leaving Starscream on his own at the entrance. He used the opportunity to run a scan through the base. There was nothing worth his interest, however; just organic food and water reserves, oil and other human inventory he didn't really know the purpose of.

_'No weaponry... These humans are open targets for any Mini-Con hunters... ' _the Seeker mused. _'Hmm? What's this?'_

An oddly familiar Mini-Con showed up in the mirror before him. Starscream couldn't follow why the character in the glass had the same wings, helm and cockpit as well. The Seeker came closer to the reflector but then stumbled back and slammed his fist into the glass. He didn't pay attention to the gaping humans; rather, he eyed the broken mirror with a look of a wolf growling at a bear.

That dreaded Mini-Con symbol on his wing tips wouldn't disappear in the cracked glass. He no longer possessed even the most common features of the Decepticons: not fierce sharp but challenging optics, no intimating fangs but dental plates like an ordinary Autobot. No wonder the children weren't startled by his appearance; no wonder Kierra mixed him up with Six-Speed's kind.

"Nonsense! I don't believe this!" he yelled in outrage and punched the reflection another time, leaving nothing but dust. "I will never—"

"Quit it!"

Starscream felt a grasp on his servo. He tried to break free from the firm hold until the person pulled him to their side. Kierra, as it turned out to be, began whispering, "Don't let them know you're not one of them. I mean it, Starscream. They hate 'Cons and enough to offline 'em all."

"Those weaponless fleshbags?" the Seeker almost shouted at the teen.

"Not them, but a pair of Shifters, or what they're called. Both of 'em work for those guys," the girl answered. "They promised to rebuild Chicago if we helped returning all of the Mini-Cons and the Dark En."

"Dark Energon doesn't exist anymore, you fool!" the mech pointed out, doing his best to keep a low tone of voice. "And what makes you so sure you're not being deceived?"

"Nothing," Kierra cut him off. "They won't ever make it the same... I don't wanna' live in a graveyard even though they're trying to revive everyone with the Pulsar Cannon—"

"The Pulsar Cannon?" Starscream repeated.

He didn't notice how they had left the building. The human was leading him farther away from the base when they stopped in the middle of the crossroads. Although her eyes were hiding in the shadows of the night, the 'Con guessed she was as lost as he was.

"You know more than you speak of, little girl," Starscream hissed. He stepped up to the teen, adding, "The encounter in the sewer was never faithful. You were the one attacking their leader, weren't you?"

Kierra turned her back to the mech right after he had mentioned their first meeting. The teen muffed a sob with her hand and faced her companion with a fake expressionless face.

"It's Sonar's work, not mine. He thought you were Runway, and... He lost."

She suddenly broke off; her eyes switched colors once again. Putting the sunglasses on, the girl dashed off from the base's corner.

"They're here! Follow me!" she shouted from afar. "Hurry up!"

_'The more I stay with humans, the more I'm convinced our kinds have nothing in common!'_ the Seeker vented in annoyance. _'Whoever this Sonar is— was, better to say, he must have been the one to reveal our plans to the human... Grr, why do I bother remembering that grunt?'_

That memory was like a clear image before his optics. The unknown Liege and his chromium sword, the moment when the weapon's edge was above his helm — he recalled the tiniest details of that encounter. Sonar's identity, however, was something the mech wasn't able to receive from his data banks. No matter what way he chose to unlock the datum, the Mini-Con stayed as an unclear memory which the white blade had destroyed in a few seconds.

_'How could those two take me for a Mini-Con! I do not resemble one that much... Do I?'_ Starscream asked himself, forgetting about his pride for a moment. _'Taken prisoner, which I don't recall at all; mistaken for a slagging Mini-Con by a good-for-nothing human girl; almost assassinated by an obviously sick mech... Primus, why?_'

The Seeker yelped when he collided with a cold pole. He shook his helm to come to his senses, but almost fainted when his optics met the "formation" lying before him. Starscream covered his helm with his servos to brace for impact. A moment passed, another second went by, yet the frame didn't even shiver though the mech should have felt the bump.

"Ah, it hasn't taken you long, Barricade. This makes one mech less to deal with," Starscream spat, checking the Saleen's energy signature. "Where has that human lead me to in the first place?"

He ran a scan on the area; the human had apparently led him into a deep forest to the south of the city. Kierra didn't seem to be anywhere nearby, but the life signals he caught downhill mattered more than his guide's location. Cautiously, the Seeker approached the slope's edge with hope of seeing a pair of Mini-Cons.

His hopes had proved him wrong.

Two swords clashed before his optics, creating a shock wave in the field. The two weapons were pulled apart but then the swordsmen forced them together once again. Optimus Prime swung his blade to the right, ducking to avoid the incoming attack, and tried jabbing it into the enemy's right servo; his rival blocked the tricky maneuver by catching the sharp edge with his left palm.

"You have no right to decide the fate of humanity, Prima," the Autobot Leader said, knocking the silver sword out of the enemy's grasp. "I do not know how you have returned from the Well of All Sparks, but we will have to send you back."

"No one _is_ deciding the fate you speak of, Optimus Prime, no one other than the Decepticons themselves," Prima answered with a devious smile. "Unless you open your optics and see the reality, I will not assist you in your current quest."

And so the swords clashed once more. Neither side uttered a sound in the middle of the battle.

Those words the First Prime mentioned had a deep meaning, yet Starscream couldn't catch it at first. He understood the shadowed purpose of those words: a reason to avoid someone, the mech believed. That warrior was the last to die under the Fallen's grasp, the first owner of the mythical Star Saber and the one to be hidden in Egypt among the statues; the statues, they were the answer.

_'You're not Prima!'_ Starscream screamed in his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Who is this impostor and why does he disguise himself as the legendary Prima? Will Kierra ever reveal what's really going on? <strong>

**Find out in the sixth chapter! **

**Don't forget to leave a review, please. Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6: Energon

**I'm sorry again for the delay. Had to rewrite this chapter several times. I'm trying my best to follow the schedule.**

**Here's chapter 6!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Energon**

Bumblebee charged at a running trooper with a blade in his servo. He hurled the dirk into the soldier's neck, bringing him down to the blue grass. The Energon covering most of the battlefield was reflecting the scout's transforming servo. A golden mask shadowed the Autobot's faceplates as he directed his laser cannon at the Shifter's head, blue energy gathering in the gun's barrel.

When the mech was about to behead the shivering fighter, a pink motorcycle rocketed into his chest plates, knocking him to the ground. A homing missile passed overhead and blew five trees up into shreds three yards farther from Starscream's position.

The Seeker uncovered his helm, he crawled closer to the farm truck's wheel at the sight of black flames enveloping the tall trees; then disintegrating into flakes of purple powder. The mech let his palm out to feel the odd energy; he pulled back after the ice melted into a hissing liquid.

"It's active Dark Energon!" Starscream exclaimed, rubbing the burn.

Even the snowing acid wasn't enough to interrupt the battle of the Primes.

Prima hurled his sword into the Autobot Commander's blaster but missed hard. The blade cut several trees down and turned into black sparks of electricity. Optimus used the chance and assaulted the unarmed knight with his sword; he unleashed a blow on the opponent's knee joints, forcing him to the ground.

"Prima," the Prime said, withdrawing his weapon, "you fought for peace among our kind and the human race three million years ago. Why do you yearn to destroy this world so much?"

The named warrior rose to his peds, his optics lost in the Energon pool before him. Optimus Prime cocked his eye when the Ancient warrior began crying quietly to himself, yet those tears weren't of sadness. They reflected amusement, that kind of tease as if total nonsense had been said.

Raising his helm to meet the Commander's optics, Prima said to the puzzled warrior with a smirk, "I do not know what _peace_ Prima cherished enough to sacrifice his Spark over a race of greedy vermin and Sparkless Cybertronians," he paused. The knight's expression switched into a scowl as he said through his denta, "Who are now exterminating their own kin with the use of Dark Energon!"

Optimus's optics narrowed in response.

"You have mistaken, fellow Prime," the Autobot claimed. "We are not the ones to bring harm to the life on this planet. It is the opposite: we are doing everything in our power to protect its inhabitants and the Transformers who are seeking shelter from the remaining Decepticon forces."

"No, dearest brother Prime, you do _not _understand me. The ones you shelter, the ones who break the law of our father, Primus, shall destroy both you and your organic allies," the warrior foretold. "The Autobots themselves are breaking the rules of our Creator!"

The false Prima's frame began to change: a pair of horns, similar to the ones of a beetle, formed on the top of his helm, several long thorns growing on its sides. His new sword divided into two parts and morphed with his servos, creating three-bladed spikes on the forearms. Starscream set optics on a yellow plate in the center of the Shifter's bronze chest plates. The rhomb-shaped accessory was glowing until the impostor showed his true colors.

"Amalgamous Prime..." Kierra whispered behind the Seeker's back.

The 'Con hadn't even noticed how the human joined his company under the truck.

"What?!" Starscream cried out.

"And the first to test your fate shall be the one of the remaining four original Primes!" Amalgamous shouted, extending the razors on his servos. "Brace yourself, you double-dyed deceiver!"

"If that is your wish, so be it," Optimus Prime accepted, drawing his weapon.

So the forces clashed again, metal versus metal. The Shifter's plate began shining, his servo transformed into a morning star bursting with electricity. Starscream heard Kierra squeal when the two weapons collided. A screech of breaking iron deafened the watchers. The human was caressing her ears while her companion was resetting his audios' functions. Both of them couldn't look away for a moment; the team, including the Autobot and the Shifter squad, didn't dare to say a single comment on the battle.

Until an Autobot announced to her nearby allies, "He has no chance against us with that morning star. How can he— Optimus, I'm picking up two enemy signals close to our position!"

Amalgamous and Optimus ignored her warning. They continued on with the battle, pressing the weapons' remains against each other, until a sharp whistle interrupted the duel. The Primes broke apart; the grey missile flew past their noses.

Starscream was gaping in horror, his lower jaw was shaking with fear as the rocket was going straight at the car they were hiding beneath. There was nowhere to run: Autobots were controlling the area. They had no time to escape; inches were left till the silent death reached them.

"What's this?" Kierra asked. "A switch?"

She pulled a rope from the car's exhaust pipe. The Seeker felt his Spark rise into his throat when the soft grass disappeared from under his chassis.

"Kierra!" the mech yelled, sounding more enraged than concerned.

They were diving down a dark endless chute, the human latched on to the flier's servo. He heard nothing but their voices, their prayers for life, and soon felt how the teen began squeezing his digits, trying not to lose her grip.

"We're gonna' die!" she screamed. A tear was streaming down her cheek.

_'How could I have forgotten?!'_ the jet finally realized, mentally covering his face plates with a palm.

He activated his thrusters, breaking the fall. The teen bore her fingers into his armor; she was about to slip, but the mech caught her by the wrist and pulled the human up to optic level.

"It's not that easy to get rid of me, little girl," Starscream said with a weak chuckle. "You still have a lot to say."

"I kinda thought it was the other way around, 'Scream," Kierra mocked.

The girl shrieked at her partner for weakening the grip. She wiped her face with her palm while muttering unclear words to herself. The Seeker smiled in satisfaction. No matter who was accompanying him, he enjoyed others being afraid of him, unless it wasn't ruining the task.

"My designation is Starscream to you, human, and if you think I follow your _suggestions_ and _leadership_ because there is no other option, you are lying to yourself. There_ are_ other ways to return my glory, but they'll come in use when I earn the information you possess," the Seeker spoke.

Starscream shook the teen's arm but she didn't react. She was gazing at the tunnel's depths, and even if the human heard, she paid no heed.

"Are you even listening to me?!" the mech complained.

"I sort of was till that light showed up," Kierra answered.

"Humph, you didn't really think I would fall for your tricks again?"

"Well, I'm not playing _pranks _now."

The girl hadn't lied; purple streams of energy were radiating from a vent to their right. Those gashes left by no animal on the hanging grate were the first to catch the duo's attention. Her teammate detected a purple crystal stuck in the wall. He tore it out and yelped, releasing the fizzling ore. It landed onto a pipe way down and melted the delicate metal into a liquid that soon covered the entire tube.

"Active Dark Energon," the 'Con identified the substance. "One crystal is enough to turn an entire legion into scrapmetal. We should get out of here. I don't like this place."

"Me neither, but," the human objected, much to her follower's surprise, "what if it's the stash Sonar was talking about?"

"Stash?" the Seeker repeated.

"Yeah, he said there was a Mini-Con ship buried somewhere in Tranquility, and that all sorts of artifacts and libraries were stored on that ship," the teen explained. "Now that I think about it, it makes sense. Why else would a brand new car be parked in the middle of a forest?"

The mech shook his head in denial.

"And what if your envisions prove wrong?" he inquired.

"You want to beat the Colonel or be beaten and stay as a minibot for the rest of your life?" Kierra challenged, a wide smile planted on her lips. "Either yes or no."

"If you only knew how much I despise you, girl," Starscream grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, you said that a million— Huh? What's this?"

Another rope was hanging next to the duct. Kierra swung forward to grab and pull the trigger, yet her companion dragged the teen away from the switch, adding, "Do _not_ touch that!"

"It doesn't work anyway," the human said, sticking out her tongue.

She demonstratively pulled the string back and forth. Lumps of dust mixed with rust were showering down from behind the panel while the contraction itself stayed mute. Kierra giggled at her partner's relieved vent and tore the cord out by accident. She bit her lip when electricity began sparkling in the hole. The grate swung up, a pair of fluorescent lamps lit the short passage into a chamber on the other side of the wall.

Starscream felt his follower's gaze fall on his form.

_'What a persistent creature,' _he thought while helping her climb into the hatch. _'Hopefully, she isn't slowing me down on the mission. She proved to be more useful than before. Maybe— Humph, ridiculous! Starscream, do not grow attached to her!'_

"Commander, you might want to see this," Kierra said, shining a flashlight at his faceplates.

The girl left to explore the chamber. Wasting no time for consideration, the jet flew up to the entrance and peeked from behind the corner.

The teen's light lit up an enormous collection of the cursed Energon crystals rowing up against the walls. Starscream got a lump in his throat; he couldn't count how many scrapped Mini-Cons were hanging on each of the six corners, spears crafted from the glowing ore holding them in place by the servos. There were at least five control panels on the bridge, each serving a different purpose if the Seeker hadn't mistaken. The enormous display, however, wouldn't be that useful, as a single wire was supporting the heavy screen.

"Finally, some technology I can use," the 'Con snickered, rubbing his palms against one another. "If it's functional, that is."

The mech spotted a small text written on a panel next to him. He soon discovered more ancient Cyberglyphs burned out on almost every object in the room, and all of them described the same thing: Dark Energon.

"Girl, come here," Starscream said, beckoning to his follower.

Kierra ran up to the panel, inquiring, "What's up?"

"Rewrite this formula to your datapad or how you humans call it," he ordered.

His teammate cocked her brow at him, her mouth opening to ask yet another question.

"Do not give me _that_ look. I'm merely being precautious," the jet interrupted.

He turned his back in response to the teen's angry frown, adding, "So copy these formulas while I'll be searching for a way to online these contractions."

All of a sudden, a heavy pole crashed right behind his back. The 'Con faced the source which turned out to be his teammate literally digging up her backpack, throwing all the unwanted stuff into the corner of the room, including the folding rod from the sewers.

_'On the other hand, I must be on my toes when around her. She might leave clues behind. I don't want to be caught by the Autobots or the Shifters because of her carelessness,'_ Starscream thought. His optics focused on the tablet next to the backpack. "Hmm?"

"Where's this dammed notepad? Ugh," Kierra growled, knocking the pad with her foot to the mech's side. She looked at the Seeker picking up the gadget. "It's Sonar's. I don't get a thing that's written there. Oh yeah, if you're interested, the data on those two creeps and some weird Mini-Con are in it. Hope _that's_ not a waste of time," she said while still swimming in the junk.

Her companion ignored the teen's last remark and opened up the first link in the list. A menu consisting of four entries: Mini-Con, Triptych, Game in C, which were in Cybertronian, and Kierra's entry: The Crack Team loaded on the main page. The 'Con scratched the back of his helm as he paused on the second one.

"I recall this Triptych from somewhere," he said in a hoarse whisper. "But where from?"

An odd voice distracted the mech from reading. He heard continuous shuffling, some kind of coughing, which reminded him of the Cybonic Plague symptoms, and chains hitting against each other. The noises subsided after a while, but then the slow, lifeless speech rang in his audios in a clearer version.

_"Gallant, have you secured the Triptych Codes?"_

Was it the Colonel he heard?

_"Negative. They have been reclaimed by the Irish Library in the town that goes by the name of Tranquility."_

_"The Lord's going to be steamed! How else are we goin' to find the Triptych Mask?"_

_"Do not worry. I will head out to retrieve our treasure as soon as Cron brings the codes. Then I will be able to enter the—"_

The voice broke off.

"What? Where should I use the codes?!" Starscream shouted, staring at the ceiling as if it could provide him with an answer.

A weird feeling interfered with the mech's hunt for solutions. He sensed as though there was something he didn't know of. That sheer silence was alien for the situation, and since the 'Con no longer sensed the _unneeded _partner, or heard her goofy jokes and remarks, he wasn't so confident in completing the task.

"Human?" he called, his voice losing all the usual strictness. "Come out, this is not the time for games!"

He heard none other than his own echo.

"Kierra?" the mech began to shout in hope of hearing at least one annoyed sigh.

The 'Con felt his Spark skip a beat when a barrel collapsed on the floor. He saw a grey shape that, perhaps, was her hoodie, loom in the corridor near the fallen object. Starscream ran in pursuit of the human, thinking, _'Oh, when I get my servos on you, insect...'_

Columns of Dark En were lighting up the passage until a crossroads came his way. Five roads were leading elsewhere in the ship, and they had no significant differences. One of them, however, caught the mech's interest with a faint yellow glow.

As he was going down the stairs, the shine was becoming clearer, was intensifying and now reminding the light coming from a million candles in a temple. More Mini-Con frames had come his way. The flier bit his digit when he saw bright Energon crystals covering their cuirasses. Four shards were securing six, maybe seven or even eight robots on each wall, and every single of those pieces was flashing with the light of the alluring Dark En.

"What could have happened?" Starscream said, examining the trooper's with his optics. "Huh? Is this?"

He approached a Seeker Mini-Con lying curled up in the corner of a dead end. The blue flier resembled him a lot, but not enough to be mistaken for the Air Commander — that was his belief though. Starscream bent down and poked the jet into the visor.

"You've been offline for at least a week. The frame is quite cold for a recent shutdown," the 'Con spoke. "Oh, and what do we have here?"

He removed a paw-shaped badge off the other's shoulder. As soon as the gadget disconnected from the armor's surface, a hologram of its owner showed up above the claw.

"To whoever's received my message, I am Runway, the leader of the Air Defense Mini-Con Team. If you've found me in the Micron ship, leave immediately. Repeat: leave immediately. You have been warned."

"That was not what I had in mind," the Seeker said, swinging the device like a pendulum before his optics. "I should take a sample of this Energon just in case—"

He broke off as a cold servo connected with his shoulder. Grabbing the sharp digits, he threw the assaulter overhead into the wall. The black Mini-Con rose to his pedes before the 'Con could come to his senses and tore out a crystal from Runway's frame, which began morphing into a longer, deadlier pike.

"Humph, I can too play that game," Starscream accepted the challenge, pulling out his own Energon spear. "But I'm not holding back."

His rival wasn't waiting for a signal; he charged at the Seeker, aiming the sharp edge at the enemy's helm, but the opposing mech blocked it with a swift swipe of his pike. The Mini-Con went by a more cunning approach and unleashed an outside low kick on the enemy's calf, almost tripping him in the process. Starscream had another move coming, however; he let go of his spear and slipped out of the falling bot's way, who landed on his knee joint. The flier dodged the attack directed at his shoulder and jabbed his entire servo into the other's spine, tearing through the armor effortlessly. The Mini-Con jerked up and down to break loose, tried kicking the attacker into the chest, resulting in the five knives digging deeper into his back. Soon the frame fell limp. The 'Con's sensors weren't picking up his energy signature.

"Puny scrapheap, you didn't really think you could defeat **me** in battle, did you?" the Seeker boasted, taking his claw out. His mood darkened when he remembered his primary objective. "Ah, no matter, I still have to find that insolent brat! Now where could she be?"

Starscream spat at a sudden thought that came to his mind, _'Why should I care? 'I could just leave her here alone. She's the one to leave me behind in the first place! Besides, I don't need a human who could give me away to the government any time tailing me around!'_

He squeezed the wire in his servo, almost crushing it into dust.

"Besides, I have the data I need," the Seeker said out loud, picking up his pike. _'And the useful weaponry... Grr, why do I feel like I owe her?— Oh slag, I must be spending too much time with the humans!'_

He reached the crossroads once again, but stopped in his tracks as a screech of metal echoed behind. Starscream spun on his heel, his spear ready for action, yet the corridor was empty. That fact was disturbing him the most. The Mini-Con had vanished, and not only the black one; every single one of them was gone!

"This is the first and the last time I listen to the human. Something's definitely wrong here!" Starscream growled, lowering the weapon. "This place's even worse than Dromedon!"

The mech slowly went around the corridors with his optics. None of them showed any sign of danger until the grey glint of a familiar hoodie sparkled in the fourth hallway. He checked the choices once more only to see the same shining in all of them at the same time!

"Starscream, help me! Starscream!" Kierra's shouts came from the hall to his left.

Without giving his actions a second thought, he activated his thrusters and zoomed into the passageway. A faint light illuminated an arch up ahead, marking it as an exit. Starscream slid on his pedes towards the threshold, stopping at the entrance. He made a step back at the sight of a Mini-Con team awaiting his arrival with guns and Energon spears pointed at him. The group opened fire on their target, making the flier to back off till his wings collided with a cold frame.

"You didn't really think I'd fall so easily, did you?" a gruff voice whispered into his audios. "Well then, here I come!"

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><p><strong>What's the secret of the Micron starship? What are the Mini-Cons up to? Find out in chapter 7!<strong>

**Thanks for reading. Reviews are welcome. **

**Happy Holidays, everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7: A Game of Words

**Chapter 7**

**A Game of Words**

Mikaela couldn't avert her eyes from the screen even for a moment. She clasped the claw badge as Arcee was reporting the Autobots' mission results to both her and Nolan. Dead End soon rejoined his companions at the Control Bridge with a pair of glass tubes in his palm. Their agent's optics widened at the sight of the Decepticon vampire.

"Dead End's your guardian?!" Arcee exclaimed. "He out of all Decepticons—"

"Is the only one we can trust," Nolan interrupted, failing to keep a straight face. "And does that really matter?"

The femme looked at Dead End, then at the human, and then again at Dead End with a hint of skepticism. She shrugged the guy's question off and continued on with the discussion while still keeping optic on the 'Con.

"So, what's with Barricade?" the 'Bot posed a question. "Any leads on how he's still online?"

No matter how much of a pessimist he was, Dead End managed to come up with at least one positive reply, "His systems running. At 75 percent. Rate of survival is. High."

"That means Dark Energon can really revive extinguished Sparks?" Arcee asked, her voice full of newborn hope.

Mikaela gave the Decepticon a confused look. She scratched the back of her head, saying, "Wait a sec, you said he was dead!"

"He wasn't," Nolan answered, biting his nails. "Arcee, does the Pulsar Cannon mean anything to you?"

Said femme almost laughed at that question. With a loud cough and a shrug she answered, "Well of course, it was Wheeljack's invention which blew up into our faces when we used it. Why are you asking?"

"There's no real Dark Energon found. In Barricade's chassis," Dead End revealed. "I don't know how. But he was under someone's. Control. Who used this."

He placed the tubes on a console next to him and removed the first one's cover. The mech pulled a lemon yellow crystal out of the container. Mikaela couldn't stop staring at the glittering ore, which, to her greatest surprise, divided into three when the 'Con poked it with his digit.

"This is Synthetic Dark En. Found in Barricade's armor," the 'Con identified, placing the test subject back into the vessel. "It can morph. Into weapons. Revive the dead. But not like true. Dark Energon. Finally, it masks energy signatures; its structure is peculiar."

"Wait, don't tell me it's made of Energon Que created," Arcee guessed, biting her lip when her ally didn't provide her with an answer. "This doesn't make any sense... The cannon was destroyed, so how can Synth En be still created?"

Mikaela threw a brief glance at her teammates. Dead End was hiding his emotions, as usual, but his partner didn't seem that collected. The girl cocked her head to the side when Nolan covered his mouth with a knuckle, trying not to earn too much attention. Apparently, he knew more facts yet kept them hidden, much to the mechanic's dismay.

Dead End, having noticed his nervousness, bid farewell to the agent, "If we get any. Information on that matter. We'll contact you."

"All right," Arcee said. "Keep your guard up."

Nolan took a deep sigh as the transmission had ended. His partner turned towards the exit while Mikaela kept staring at the guy, waiting for him to notice her look of disapproval.

"Why didn't you tell her?" the girl's question sounded more like a demand. "She's on our side, for Pete's sake!"

"She wouldn't have been now if we'd told her, Mika," Nolan said, dropping his head onto his knees.

Mikaela got up from her seat to prove her teammate's statement wrong, but he beat her to it.

"Why do you think I asked about the Pulsar Cannon?" he reminded, now staring into her eyes. "Well, cause someone from the Autobots keeps gathering its remains in Chicago! I have no idea why Dead hasn't shown you the other crystal; it's the same but only black, and that's exactly the thing that keeps the others on the enemy's side!"

"And what does that have to do with the Autobots? It's not their fault someone's stealing that stuff!" Mikaela claimed.

"That's not what. He means, Mikaela," Dead End continued in a grim voice. "Arcee may not know that. Three Mini-Cons were testing. The cannon. They were Runway, Jetstorm. And Sonar. They disappeared afterwards. Jetstorm was found offline. In a forest with. Synth En crystals growing. Out of his Spark."

"But how's Barricade survived?!" Mikaela pointed out. "If these three died, why's he alive?"

"We don't know that..." Dead End said. "We only know it has. Caused major damage. To the environment. Chicago will never be. The same again."

He clenched his servos into tight knuckles, scratching his palms. The 'Con turned to leave, yet halted under the arch when he heard the girl say, "If you guys can't come up any other excuses, then _excuse_ me!"

Then she went past the 'Con like the raging wind.

"Uh, Mika, don't act like a nine-year-old!" Nolan shouted after her. "Come back!"

Yet the girl didn't listen. The door slid back as she ran towards the ship's exit without any care if the duo were tailing her or not. Mikaela turned right, then left and made it into a narrow hallway. She stomped the floor in anger at the sight before her; the hard metal rang under her feet.

"That idiot Dead End with his stupid... dead ends in the middle of this dammed rust bucket! Ugh!" the mechanic cursed.

She slumped into the corner and wrapped her arms around her knees. The girl looked at the tall ceiling, then rubbed her face with a palm when remembered what was lying hidden behind the thick layers of steel — miles of rock till the very surface. No ways of escape without having to plead her two teammates existed. Mikaela clenched the badge in her hand at that thought. The device cracked in her clasp, forcing the girl to release the item. It landed on the floor with a weak, barely-heard rattle.

"Who am I kidding? If these two morons can't find some Mini-Cons, what chances of finding dad do they have?" she concluded, hiding her head with her hands. "All Nolan keeps doing is overloading me with those promises."

Mikaela picked up and took a brief glance at the claw.

"This badge means a. Lot to you. I see."

"What do you want, Dead End?" the girl asked, not caring to turn to meet the mech's optics. "I don't wanna' talk."

"I don't _wanna_ talk. The other time too," Dead End said

He tried mimicking her voice but sounded like a guy talking through his nose. Mikaela gritted her teeth; she was doing her best not to bite the 'Con's head off for that tease.

"Thanks _so much _for the comfort! You really know how to cheer someone up," she said sarcastically, glaring daggers at the mech. "I hate you Decepticons! I bet it's your friends behind all of this!"

The girl raised her hand to get rid of the claw, yet she didn't move an inch. She felt its weak, constant vibration. The badge began to transform; its nails extended and connected with the claw's bottom. Then the upper part slid to the left and shifted into an arrow that had four black holes in it, similar to those of a speaker's. The panel it revealed had no buttons, just a screen with totally random symbols disappearing and reappearing in the corners of the display.

Mikaela jumped from her position. She'd made several attempts to remove the bracelet; it slid back and forth, around her wrist, to the left and to the right, but didn't get off.

"Just what is this thing?! Why won't it come off!?" the girl growled, giving her companion a pleading look.

"Because you've announced the. Password," Dead End explained, coming closer to the human. "To answer your first. Question. It's a kind of. Universal device the beast Transformers. Used millions of years. Ago."

"And now _we're_ using them in the present times, hah."

The communicator's screen lit up, showing a horned, silver bot with half of his faceplates masked by the shadows.

"Don't think about. Forcing her change sides. Amalgamous Prime," the 'Con snarled, bending down to the display.

"I see you're standing by the side of their team, Mikaela Banes. I was expecting you joining the Autobots," the Shifter said with a smirk. "What a good choice you've made to stay with these two. At least they're not being tricked like some nitwits."

"And at least the Autobots aren't running with their tails between their legs like some Shifters," the human jeered.

"Mikaela, don't—" Dead End warned her, sounding rather disturbed by the chit-chat.

The Shifter muffed a chuckle with his fist.

"Nice try, but if you think you can hook me up with that, try coming up with a better insult," he said, his smug smile growing wider when the girl frowned in response. "After all, I'm not here for a fight, rather for a message concerning your father to deliver."

Mikaela pulled the bracelet away from her face in response to that word. She began to panic; they had him, they had her father. The human tried thinking of a threat to say, but not a single sentence but stutters came out of her mouth. She silenced herself when the Prime moaned in annoyance.

"Listen, Banes, I don't plan on seeing any drama here. Your friend, Dead End, knows what I'm saying right now: the Shifters don't have your father. Pfft, why would I bother kidnapping vermin anyway? Yuck!" Amalgamous said, sticking out his tongue in disgust.

"Watch your words. Prime," Dead End warned in a sinister hiss that was making goosebumps appear on the human's skin. "I will not hold. Back like last time. If you continue this... Game of words."

The Prime's expression changed into a sour scowl. He puffed a cloud of steam like an angry bull but then calmed himself with a powerful shake of his helm.

"If you want to see your father, Mrs. Banes_,_ do visit this area near Chicago," were his last words before the screen went black.

The bracelet had gone silent for a moment. Then it shot a green beam into a nearby wall. A portal opened up before their feet. Oddly enough, the accessory slipped off the human's wrist and transformed back into its first mode.

Mikaela heard gears shift behind her; Dead End, driving up to the girl, revved his engine and unlocked the front door, saying, "Climb in."

Even though he hadn't ordered her doing so, the mechanic quickly got into the car without any complains or remarks. She was looking neither at the windscreen, nor out of the glowing windows, or even at her badge, but at the furry carpet under her moccasins. Guilt was following her around, like a curse she couldn't get rid of, ever since the Decepticon, the one she used to hate so much, had stood up for her.

_"I hate you Decepticons! I bet it's your friends behind all of this!"_

_'Well, duh, Barricade's attacked us in the tunnels. We lost the little girl and that Mini-Con, thanks to that bucket of bolts!'_ Mikaela thought, closing her eyes for a second. _'But it's not Dead End's fault… Hmm… And why did I have a feeling I'd seen that Mini-Con before?'_

"You've found the best. Time for musings. Mikaela," Dead End grumbled through the radio. "We have arrived."

No talks, chats or grumbles, just eye-rolling — the only gesture she cared doing to show her annoyance with the grumpy mech.

She forgot about everything, even her father moments later; the city of Chicago, or what had remained of it, was stretching from the shipyard till the horizon. Clouds of smog were thickening above the shortest buildings, blocking the rays of the morning sun. All sorts of junk a human could imagine after having heard that word was floating on the surface of the water that reminded fresh lemon juice.

Mikaela bent down to the liquid and tried touching it.

"Touch that. Get a second-degree burn," Dead End warned, going further into the city. "Stay watching the fish. Carcasses. Lose me in the scrapheaps."

Mikaela turned her head towards the Decepticon yet met his back. He stopped at a certain point and looked back at the human with a physiognomy that resembled a sort of scold but not a too strict one. Dead End's left optic narrowed as they kept staring at each other.

_'Why're you not with Amalgamous if you know him?'_ the girl mentally asked, cocking her head to the right.

The next thing she knew, came a reply that shot her doubts down with four accurate strikes, "Because Autobots and Shifters judge everyone by the faction they've chosen. Nolan's never labeled me as a Decepticon. He's never judged me for looks or by strength like other humans. That's why I don't understand you, humans, especially like you, Mikaela Banes."

"You-ou ca-n talk—" the human said in a weak stutter.

"Brace yourself!" Dead End shouted, leaping over the human to shield her from danger.

He jumped high into the air and caught a blue F-22 Raptor by the wings; the jet was making circles in the sky to throw the hitchhiker off, which didn't have any effect till the pilot boosted his speed and flew farther from the ground. Dead End lost his grip on the left wing yet was still holding onto the second one. Then they both vanished into the haze.

Mikaela cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Dead End!"

"What's the point in all the shouting? They're not too far from the stratosphere after all."

Mikaela spun around to meet the speaker who turned out to be a short man leaning against a black truck. His grey uniform and the red beret were giving him away as a military worker; however, something about that soldier, besides the odd dog chains attached to his boots, was screaming to the girl to leave. Then she noticed it, a keychain swinging back and forth in his right hand. It was a replica of her own badge, only in silver and blue colors!

"Right, girl, you're looking where you should be, which makes us a step closer to the deal," the man said, taking off his beret. "I have these."

He raised his hand and shook the device teasingly.

"Trade me yours, and I will let your friends go _peacefully_," he added with a smile, his green eyes shining cunningly. "Ironhide, show them what I mean."

The truck's doors slammed open while the plating on its frame began to shift. Mikaela stepped back in awe when two screams, a childish female and a bit pitched yet very familiar male one, came from the inside of the car. She heard the noise of moving gears as the vehicle transformed in none other than Ironhide himself. The human was gaping at him holding a horrified teenage girl by the hood and a frozen in fear flier Mini-Con by his wings. She was gazing at the captive while he was gazing back at her.

"Starscream?!" Mikaela shouted in amazement.

* * *

><p><strong>Will Mikaela give her precious item to the soldier, or will she forget the past and save her old enemy? Find out in chapter 8.<strong>

**Thanks for reading! Suggestions, notes, reviews are all appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8: Chicago for Dead End

**Disclaimer: the lyrics of the song "Come With Me Now" used in this chapter belong to Kongos. No exceptions.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**Chicago for Dead End**

Her eyes darted from the badge to the girl, from the teen to the Seeker, then again to the badge. Mikaela placed her hand into the patch pocket of her jeans; she couldn't come up with the final decision. Unclear thoughts were racing through her mind, and none of them provided her with a reasonable answer because of the memories, memories of the past Decepticon encounters.

"My patience has reached its limit, Rogers!" the soldier barked. "Give up the badge, or your friends Runway and Kiana will be swimming among the dead in the sea!"

The claw's owner tilted her head to the right in lack of certainty.

_'I bet on my life it's Starscream! He must have mixed them and me up with other people,' _Mikaela thought, hiding the claw out of the enemy's sight.

The man had almost crushed the gadget with his muscular hand. He trampled on a tin can under his feet in fury. His foe couldn't help but reply with a glare to his violent outbursts.

"If that's your decision, then I'll take what I need by force!" the soldier snarled. "Ironhide, retrieve the B-Tooth and get rid of her!"

The Autobot hurled his hostages into a scrap heap behind. His servos transformed into a pair of great cannons, which he aimed directly at the human. Step by step Mikaela turned back as the ebony mech marched after her, but then she remembered something; she remembered how Sam introduced her to Bumblebee, how they had been racing for their dear lives with Barricade hot on their tail; how they met the other Autobots and defeated the Fallen.

And they've achieved that goal as a team.

"Ironhide, don't you remember me?!" Mikaela shouted in despair. "Don't you remember Sam, Optimus, Bumblebee, and Captain Lennox? Don't you remember how we'd beaten the Fallen?"

Ironhide lowered his weapons, completely absorbed into the human's words.

"Don't listen to her lies!" the man fumed, throwing his beret off. "I'm your Colonel! You must be following MY orders!"

"No soldier will be following your orders!"

A weak tremor forced the Colonel to his backside. The human peeked from behind the Autobot's pedes. She got into a defensive position as a weak beam came Ironhide's way, who blocked the attack with his bare servos. Mikaela uncovered her head when a jet engine sounded nearby.

Before neither she nor the enemy had a chance to come to their senses, a blue Raptor dove out of the clouds and was now going straight into Ironhide! The mech opened heavy fire on the aircraft, yet his foe had it all planned. He switched to robot mode and let the missiles pass and crash into a nearby crane. The whole machine began to tremble. Both humans ran for their lives as the jib began bending down to the field.

Mikaela was running in search of the safest cover without looking back. She tripped over her foot in panic; the construction crashed with a loud thud yet there was no tremor. Slowly, the human got to her feet and turned towards the docks, where Ironhide was battling... another Starscream? However, the blue paintjob had triggered a different memory.

"That's the same guy who attacked Dead End way back then!" Mikaela whispered to herself. "How many _Starscreams_ just are there?"

"For your information, there's only one, which is me."

Mikaela jumped to face the speaker yet calmed instantly. There, leaning against Dead End's car mode hood with his servos crossed, awaited the Seeker Mini-Con. His girl companion was looking out of the back window, gawking at the mechanic with her head tilted to the right.

"No time. For pleas. The Colonel is escaping," Dead End noted. "He's our only. Chance to discover their. Goals."

"He's right, you guys. Let's get him while his servant's aft is being kicked!" the teen supported, waving at the duo.

Mikaela looked straight into the 'Con's optics, expecting him to turn away, but he didn't. Starscream answered with a glare so hateful that the human felt as if he could see right through her.

"_Come_ on!" the teen whined.

"Fine," the mechanic said through her teeth. "Show the way, Dead End."

They both got into the car yet were still keeping distance from each other. Dead End hit the gas and zoomed towards the main street. Mikaela heard the girl yelp in the back when the Peugeot made a sharp C turn round a road sign and boosted into the highway.

"Well I don't see anyone," she said while checking the scanners on the dashboard.

"Nolan sent me data. On the Colonel. One of the Autobots is working. With him. And providing the Prime with. False information," the driver reported, adding some more speed. "We must. Not. Be late!"

"Hang on a—" the teen pleaded.

"There is... NO TIME!" Dead End cut her off.

He switched to the sixth speed. His engines whistled from the sudden mode change, and the car darted like a rocket towards a broken bridge. Mikaela felt the adrenaline rush into her blood as the Peugeot rose high into the sky. Seconds began passing like minutes in a slowmo movie. She saw the other side of the ramp coming, and even the yellow water boiling in the barricades of trash below didn't scare her.

"Yeehaw!" Mikaela cheered, throwing her hand into the air like a cowgirl.

Dead End landed onto the weak armature and went down a steep slope, at the end of which awaited another gap in the road. Moments were left till they fell into the smelting pool. Mikaela felt a pair of sharp digits tear through the soft seat, scratching her back a bit.

"_Afraid to lose control. And caught up in this world…"_

"Dead End, turn back!" Starscream ordered, baring his claws further into the leather. "I don't want to be sent to the Pits!"

"That's what. I want," the Peugeot chuckled, obviously making fun of the mech. "To avoid."

Mikaela shuddered when she heard something shift on the right front door. A thin laser gun emerged from under the car's armor. It shot a blue bolt at the upcoming Energon pool and froze it, creating an icy dead man's curve around a statue.

_"I've wasted time, I've wasted breath. I think I've thought myself to death"._

"Prepare for a bumpy ride," Dead End warned.

_"__I was born without this fear. Now only this seems clear.__I need to move, I need to fight, I need to lose myself tonight.__"_

He drove onto the ice and performed a dangerous C-turn. Mikaela cheered at the top of her lungs while the other passengers yelled at the top of their lungs as they were spinning around the headless sculpture of a military officer riding a horse. Dead End switched speeds once again and slowed down on the fourth circle. The mechanic leaned against the seat as her driver entered the half-destroyed city streets.

_"Whoa, come with me now!"_

"That was... fun," she said, looking at the steering wheel. "But I wouldn't want to try that again."

"You weren't afraid. Unlike on our. Last trip to the base," Dead End reminded. "You've made. Progress."

"Thanks," was all his teammate could come up with. _'Last time I thought you wanted to kill us. Now I don't.'_

"Umm, it'd be nice if you kinda had warned everyone about the... roller coaster," the teen said, gulping nervously. "I'm just sort of afraid of quick movements."

"Oh. Forgive me... What's. Your name?" the Peugeot questioned.

"Kierra. And you're Dead End and Mikaela, right?" the girl asked, smiling at the rear-view mirror. "Nice to meet ya."

"You got it right," Mikaela answered. "Likewise."

She checked the car's radar. She noticed a green shape being lit up on the display. Whatever the scanners were showing, the target was moving on the other side of the street. Dead End, surprisingly enough, didn't seem to plan on making a turn.

"Dead End, aren't we supposed to be after the Colonel?" Mikaela pointed out sarcastically, watching the steering wheel with upmost attention. "What's up with you?"

"I was... Checking the. Satellite readings. Nolan sent me," the Peugeot answered as if he were in a daze. "The enemy. Is on. The. Other. Street."

_'Satellite readings? I know Nolan's a hacker, but not such a dedicated one. What are you hiding again?_' Mikaela thought.

She squealed in alarm when the Peugeot, all of a sudden, slammed the breaks. The mechanic rubbed her shoulder where the seatbelt had squeezed on. She raised her head only to see a pink blockade or —better to say— pede on the road.

"Dead End?" Arcee's voice boomed from above. "What are you doing here?"

Mikaela felt a weak shiver run down the floor. The radar's screen had gone black for a second before a white window with grey text appeared instead.

_'We can't let her know about those two! If she does, they're scrap!'_ she read. _'Good point... Though I would tell her if the girl wasn't on his side.'_

"Just what are you up to this time? Even though you are working with Mikaela and Nolan, this doesn't give you a status of a _trust-worthy_ Decepticon," Arcee said in a displeased tone. "So, do you choose the easy way or the hard way?"

_'I'm done for,'_ was written on the screen.

But before either the car or Mikaela could come up with an idea, Kierra opened the car window and pleaded the femme, "Hey, um, hold on a second, okay?"

"A human?!" Arcee exclaimed, her head jerking up in surprise. "What business are you attending with the likes of him? And who are you, first of all?"

"I'm Kiana, and I'm searching for my house," the girl explained, avoiding the femme's sight. "I know it's dangerous and all, but... I just wanted to take the stuff my parents have left in it."

The teen looked at the ground and took a deep breath.

"It's the only things I can keep as a memory of my family..." Kierra said, wiping her nose. "And I asked Dead End to take me there."

Arcee stayed silent. She moved her ped out of the way and headed towards the other side of the street, saying in a grieved whisper, "Be careful on your search, child."

"Thanks, I will!" the teen shouted, closing the window.

As soon as the tainted glass shadowed the girl's face, she slid down the seat, wiping her forehead in relief. Dead End slammed the gas pedal and hightailed out of the open into a small cavern created by a fallen skyscraper.

The group was travelling in silence. Every time the car's wheels sank into the dented road, the driver would curse quietly to himself in Cybertronian and continue on with the driving. A weak sun ray was shining into Mikaela's eye. She blocked the beam with a sun visor and noticed three spiky wires hanging from one of the windows above. Crystallized Energon was glowing on their tips. The human turned away in disgust as more En shards showered down through the cables.

Mikaela felt a new force pressing her against the seat. Were they climbing a mountain? How could there be mountains in a city? The mechanic turned her attention to the windshield and gasped in alarm. She felt sweat pouring down her forehead as Dead End was going up another skyscraper.

The peaceful music playing in the car didn't distract her from the scene both on the right and on the left. Sliced into two skyscrapers with yellow En crystals sparkling on the sun had cut the city center off from the highway; different kinds of aircraft, those being Cybertronian tech and the Earth's jets and military planes, were crashed into the pavement.

Mikaela changed the rear-view mirror's position and covered her mouth with her palm in astonishment. There, on top of the building behind them, lay lifeless a gigantic worm-like creature. Both Starscream and Kierra looked back as well, yet the teen's companion didn't seem all that intrigued by it than the humans.

"Shockwave's Driller... So they've managed to defeat that rodent," the Seeker said, unsurprised. "Dead End, how many Autobots and Decepticons have managed to survive this battle without counting those revived?"

"Decepticons: very close to. None. Autobots: very few deceased," the 'Con listed. "There were. Fewer Autobots. Than Decepticons. Overall."

"What do you have on Megatron, Shockwave, and Soundwave?" Starscream brought up the next question. "Have they survived?"

"Nothing on either Lord Megatron. Or Shockwave," Dead End reported. "The Harbinger's databases. Show Soundwave as offline."

Mikaela smirked at her enemy's smug smile.

"Don't worry, Starscream. I think an army of toasters and microwaves might help you in defeating the Autobots," she joked, leaning against the seat.

"Don't test my patience, Banes," the Seeker warned. "I _will_ use my perfect chance to settle this!"

"A toy truck sounded more threatening than you," the human teased, her smirk growing wider and wider.

"Why YOU!" Starscream yelled, extending his claws.

"QUIET!" Dead End bawled.

The Seeker's glare had vanished instantly. He sat back and turned his gaze towards the city, huffing something unclear under his venting. Kierra stared at her ally for a while, then shifted her gaze to the windscreen. Mikaela bit her tongue; she still had goosebumps after that shout.

"If you-s. Don't understand-sh. Me after the first. Warning-sh," the Peugeot paused, his voice distorted from anger. "I will shout-sh. All the time-z."

_'I guess that's why Nolan had told me not to play on his nerves way back then...'_ his teammate thought, gulping nervously. _'Even Starscream's afraid of him...'_

"We. Have arrived," the driver broke the silence. "The target is. Here."

"Um, you sure?" Kierra asked, looking out of the window. "There's like a pit and that sort of stuff..."

"I am never. Sure," Dead End revealed. "That's. What my scanners. Show me."

Mikaela was first to get out. She approached the entrance in the building's glass and looked down, saying, "This whole construction's unstable. I think you should stay here, Dead End."

"I wasn't going to," the mech said. "I shall. Guard the exit in the back. In case if the Autobot. Comes."

"Is that so?" Starscream questioned, joining the ex-enemy's side. "Well, then take the other human with you. I don't want her tagging along."

"Uh, hey! I can stand up for myself!" Kierra protested, clenching her raised fists. "I don't wanna' do sentry duty!"

"I have _not_ asked for any opinions, girl. Just do what you are told," the Seeker commanded, sounding awfully calm about it.

He then turned to face his ex-enemy, adding, "As for you, Mikaela Banes, don't slow me down."

With those words he jumped into the building and disappeared into the darkness. His ally rolled her eyes, yet decided to follow eventually. Landing swiftly on her feet, she checked her surroundings: the Seeker had already gone further into the construction.

"Mikaela," Dead End called. "Keep your guard up. And try working. As a team."

_'Me and the likes of him? That's hard to imagine,'_ the human pondered. _'He'll betray me at the nick of danger.'_

"I know what. You are thinking," the Peugeot continued. "But we have. No other choice."

"There's always another choice, Dead End," the human answered. "You're just being pessimistic again."

She heard a door slam shut, and Dead End revving his engine. Then the noise began fading away until nothing could be made out.

They had left...

"Don't take me wrong, Dead End, but I can't just jump and begin trusting him. And don't ask me why, because you already know the answer," she debated with herself while staring at the hole in the glass. "Ugh, whatever. I'm still stuck with him... and for good."

Mikaela shook her head after having said that. She left the entrance and went towards an open door in the floor. With the aid of a hanging cable, possibly the remains of a power cable, the explorer slid down into the next room which turned out to be an office, and perhaps the one that used to belong to a manager. She picked up a bronze name tent lying close to her feet.

"Dylan Gould," the girl read aloud.

The tent met its end outside afterwards. Nothing else seemed to catch the visitor's attention. The room was almost empty, since most of the furniture was either crushed into dust by an unknown force, or simply waiting to be found way below.

Mikaela was about to leave when a twisted picture frame got in the way. She looked upwards and noticed two photos hanging on the ceiling.

_'I've got a weird feeling this might be what I'm looking for...'_ the visitor guessed.

She tried finding what to cut the ropes with. The girl ran up to a cupboard and searched the shelves, yet there were forks, spoons, tea cups, and, much to her amazement, plushies, and no knives or any other kind of razors. Then an idea struck Mikaela's mind.

"The claw!" she exclaimed, taking out the badge. "If only I remembered how it worked..."

When the human uttered those words, the badge began to glow. It transformed into the same bracelet from before, but two razors stuck up from the upper part of its screen. Mikaela tried pressing her finger against the display, yet it didn't come online. Instead, the thorns began charging electricity.

Cautiously, the mechanic aimed the weapon at the strings. She felt a tough force push her hand to the floor when two red arrows cut the paintings down and went right through the cement, leaving triangular marks in it.

"Gotcha!" Mikaela said in triumph, catching her prize. "Huh? It's- It's them!"

The explorer blew the dust away from one of the photos. The dirt was impossible to remove from the glass cover, and most of the details were shadowed by a thick layer of cement powder. However, four unpleasant faces were still recognizable. Those were the faces of her long-time-favorite Colonel, the unforgettable Leo Spitz, who she didn't know that well, Dylan Gould, and an unfamiliar boy with a yellow sports visor and an odd hieroglyph on his shoulder.

Mikaela placed the second picture onto the cupboard but didn't let go of the first one. She had been staring at the faces in her own silence for a while now. The mechanic raised her head; her eyes darted to the wall where another shadow besides her appeared. Whatever the creature was, it pretty much reminded her of a bird, yet which one? A swan, since it had a long neck and huge wings? The human snapped out of her musings when the being made a step closer.

She spun around on her heel and aimed her gadget at the... wall? There was no shadow or any so-called swan behind her, but how? Was it all her imagination? The explorer didn't drop her weapon. Grasping the picture in her hands, she came up to another hatch in the floor and kicked it open.

_'It must've been my imagination,'_ the girl concluded, dropping her hand.

Soon enough, she raised her defenses in response to a loud thump and a crash. The noise was followed by three bangs, making the visitor wonder whether a battle was being held or not. Her thoughts had proved wrong, again.

"This isn't funny, human! Let me out!" Starscream roared. "You'll regret this, Banes!"

"What's he talking about?" Mikaela whispered to herself, confused.

She jumped to the lower level and checked her surroundings; there were two iron doors at the end of the corridor. The one to the right, unlike the left one, had a huge dent that became bigger when someone rammed it another time. Furious growls were coming from the other side.

"Let me out of here!" the Seeker demanded in a louder voice.

"Pipe down, will you?" Mikaela said, running to the closet. "I'm coming already!"

She pushed the knob down, but the rusty handle wouldn't budge. Pushing the door back and forth hadn't brought any results as well. Then the idea of using the bracelet became an option, yet the girl stopped in mid-thought; the first time she used those arrows they burned through the cement.

_'I might kill him that way...'_ the claw's owner realized, tossing the idea away. _'I'm just doing this for the girl.' _

"What? Can't open the door you've locked?" Starscream mocked, punching the obstacle. "The Colonel is escaping thanks to you!"

"Have you ever thought before blaming someone? Why would _I_ lock you in and then try getting you out?" Mikaela said, annoyed. "Where's the logic in that?"

After a short pause, the mech barked, "Don't teach me _logic_, Banes! Just open the door!"

"Sure, whatever," his companion said, heading towards the other side of the corridor. "I'll go search for a crowbar or something. Try not to attract any attention while I'm at it."

"Just hurry up you human. The sooner I get out, the sooner we leave," Starscream noted, proving a good point. "The Colonel is still roaming around this area, so don't even think of not returning."

"I know, right?" the girl said. _'Damn, I'm not that helpless.'_

She pulled the knob of the next door. The hinges howled like a train hitting the breaks but still opened. Mikaela's jaw dropped; there were around ten doors and all of them were absolutely the same, or were they? There were nameplates on the three of them. The third name, unlike the other two, was painted over in black.

_'Kowloon for Thundercracker. Ibiza for… Chicago for Dead End,' _Mikaela read. "What the hell!"

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><p><strong>What do those odd nameplates mean? How's Mikaela going to get out of this mess? <strong>**Find out in the next chapters!**

**Feel free to post suggestions, notes, and opinions. Reviews are appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9: Trust equals Fate

**A small note: the Mini-Cons Catilla and Dualor aren't fan characters, rather toys from the Dark of the Moon line, so I've based their characters and looks on the toy bios. While Dualor's a homage to G1 Grimlock, I decided to give the Dinobot manner of speaking to Catilla, who's based on Snarl from Classics.**

**None of the Mini-Cons I use are OC's, Gallant being the only exception. This counts for the majority of other characters, besides The Colonel, Kierra, Nolan, and some minor OC's. The others are insertions from other series or the game versions of the movies.  
><strong>

**Anyway, here's chapter nine!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**Trust equals Fate**

Mikaela was surrounded by ten different doors. Those three nameplates were still a big question for her. She took out her phone to take photos of those signs, but when she entered the lock key, the iPhone short-circuited. The screen wouldn't react to anything. Even the buttons didn't work.

"Ugh, what's up with you?" the girl groaned, hitting the gadget against her palm. "Ow!"

A door slammed into her heel, making her loose her grip and drop the cell on the floor. Gritting her teeth, Mikaela aimed her weapon at the man standing in the doorway. The Colonel was grinning from ear to ear at the girl. That cocky grin was really starting to hit a nerve.

"You've done a great job finding me here, woman, but what's giving you the confidence that I'm going to quit?" the soldier questioned, his snow goggles glowing in a sickening, scarlet shine.

"What's making _you_ that confident? The new safety glasses?" the mechanic said, _impressed._

"Not quite," came a sarcastic reply.

The Colonel pointed his finger at something behind her back. Turning around, she gulped in fear. Mikaela had lost her confidence much sooner than she expected; three silver hounds were showing her their saber teeth. Green saliva was dripping from their open snouts, making the human want to vomit. However, their single bloodthirsty eyes wouldn't let her show the disgust. Instead, she dropped her equipped hand and dashed to the left-hand part of the hall.

That was the worst mistake she'd ever made.

Those watchdogs had already read her next three movements. They were guarding the exits with the same glares which had told her everything for the dogs.

_Don't even think about it._

Mikaela soon felt the mopboard under her heel. The dogs were on her toes, standing on their hind legs. Their breath could make any person faint. Glue, ethanol and acetone — a deadly mix of the strongest chemicals that was making the girl feel dizzy. She pulled away from the hounds, which were more like blurred ghosts in her eyes now. She felt something give away under her back. The hunters stood away from her; she no longer saw them or felt their claws pressing on her toes. She was falling into an unknown black tunnel, and no one would catch her.

The girl felt a bump on her head that had knocked some sense into her. The girl rose into a sitting position; those twisted lamp posts, the turned-over cars, the burned buildings — one of the streets in Chicago, but how? How'd she got outside of the building alive?

"Fix the power supply unit, and you connect the force field generator to the cannon," a bit pitched, male voice sounded in the back. "Try not to mess anything up. We have a single chance to neutralize this dangerous yet delicate piece of machinery."

Three Mini-Cons, and a weapon of the height of an average bus — something she hadn't expected to encounter. The artillery had three cannons pointed north, east, and west, the northern one being the longest. A sharp hook resembling a pointy cat nail was equipped on the tip of its barrel while the shorter two were flattened, clearly reminding a pair of flat pipes. Thick cords were connecting the cannon to three foundations, which have remained from the buildings.

Those fliers didn't show fear plugging cables in and out on the weapon's main panel. The shortest of them, a grey with azure blades on his shoulders and a trademark sword hilt pointing out of the upper side of his back robot was going Mikaela's way.

Everything happened not how the human had been expecting; the Mini-Con went right through her!

"I must be dreaming..." she mused aloud, watching the flier approach a lying car bumper.

"Sonar, be quick. Bring the U-, S- and B-Teeth and connect them to the hard drive before that Autobot will have realized he's been tricked!" another male yet a bit lower voice sounded. "The Pulsar must be destroyed!"

"I know that we have no time, but, Jetstorm, you don't have to bash me all the time! I'm trying to work as quickly as my sore peds let me!" Sonar complained, running towards his team.

Jetstorm, the dark lavender 'Con with white, blue striped wings, swiped the three claws from his ally and came up to the cannon.

Curious, Mikaela was about to dash and see what would occur, but an entirely grey with blue wings, similar to Starscream's, Mini-Con aimed his blaster at the girl. His allies were now staring at her; Sonar was hiding behind Jetstorm's back while the other too uncovered his weapon. Then, to the human's greatest fear, a fiery laser blast cut through one of the ropes.

The Pulsar Cannon heeled over into the right but didn't fall. An escadrille passed above their heads and making a horizontal loop headed straight into the Mini-Cons, firing missiles on their way. Jetstorm grabbed his partners by the shoulder joints and pushed them under the cannon. He brought the red claw up to his chestplates and activated a force field to block the incoming attack.

Mikaela took cover behind a car to avoid the homing missiles. She raised her head to see the Mini-Cons, yet nothing but flames greeted her in the street.

"Wait, what— what have I missed?" the human uttered, wiping her eyes. "Yikes!"

She fell on her backside; an enormous pipe was going straight into her. The human covered her face and screamed in fear as they were about to collide. Her heart stopped, she wasn't able to breathe for a moment. Then a whine of breaking metal forced the girl to bury her back further into an opening in a panel behind. She waited for a minute, for two, for three to pass. Had it stopped? Mikaela opened her eyes and gasped in relief; centimeters were left before her feet touched the scorching, burning in purple flames bar. With utmost carefulness the human crawled away from the threat.

"That was very close..." she said, wiping her forehead.

"The Air-force Mini-Cons have the powers of the Crack Team. Unfortunately, your battle spirit is destructible with minor effort," a robotic voice sounded, giving Mikaela the shivers. "I suggest you capitulate, Sonar. Your leader, Runway, has abandoned you. Your friend Jetstorm has been taken in custody. The Autobots will not bother searching for you any time soon. It's unprofitable for their Shifter ally. Join the Crack Team. Victory is guaranteed on their side."

"You're— You're a cheat, Gallant! I'll never give up!" Sonar shouted. "The Crack Team, The Liege won't get away with this!"

Sonar appeared from behind the corner. He was backing away from a red Mini-Con. Whether he was a one or not, it was impossible to guess, since he had no insignias, rather a horned dragon tattoo on his shoulder with a hideous dent that was decorating the mark. The yellow antennas on the sides of his helm began to twitch as the cornered enemy aimed a gun at him. Afraid, Sonar dropped the weapon when the pursuer grabbed the hilts pointing out of his purple knight boots.

"Let the little guy go!"

Mikaela couldn't believe her ears. Was it _that_ voice she had heard? The girl turned around.

There she was with the red claw in her hands — the girl she couldn't recognize visually. The teen before her had long ash brown hair instead of short burnt orange; olive green eyes instead of plain grey. Maybe she had mistaken?

Suddenly, her head began to hurt. Mikaela could no longer see Gallant, Sonar, Kierra or Chicago. Plain darkness was now surrounding her, but was it the way she was seeing it? The mechanic closed her eyes tight and tried opening them again. A blurred black face appeared above her. It didn't seem to be familiar, but as her vision began to clear after some seconds, the sleeper recognized two keen teeth pointing out of the person's snout.

"'Kay or no 'kay?" the odd character asked, shaking her by the shoulders. "Human, 'kay or no 'kay?"

"Ow, stop that!" the mechanic ordered, getting up from the ground.

She rubbed her eyes as if she were sleepy and looked at the figure before her. An animalistic Mini-Con met the human with a smile and a wave of his cat head resembling arm. Those grey eyes were telling a lot to the mechanic, but the words he'd said possessed a more deep meaning.  
>Hiding the claw behind her back, Mikaela stood in her place and looked straight into the silvery orange mech's optics.<p>

"Why you look at Catilla? Catilla not hurt you," the Mini-Con inquired, licking his tooth. "May be a bit, but no much."

_'Whoever he is, he's not lying,'_ the girl mused. "What are you doing here?"

Catilla shifted his gaze to the floor.

"I look for friend Dualor. Mini-Con capture him and take here," the beast explained, still avoiding the human's eyes. "Catilla try, try but no find him here. Only hellhounds and man in red here. Man in red kick and lock Catilla here. No good, no good man. Man has Decepticon prison."

"Man in red? Decepticon prison? Can you show me that prison?" his partner asked, intrigued.

"Man lock door!" Catilla reminded, shaking his head in denial.

"We'll find an alternative way," Mikaela said with a smile. "And I think I know which one."

While they were at it, she couldn't stop thinking about her top priority — to get her ally out of the tiny prison he was currently stuck in. The girl imagined a scene where the Seeker would promise to have her head for waiting. She was right, actually. Said mech had already lost all hope of the human coming back.

He was gazing at the door, waiting for his ally's return. An hour had only passed, but Starscream wouldn't believe his sensors; two hours, no more than four hours — an eternity had gone by. His scanners couldn't pick up any movement anywhere close to the closet.

The mech leaned against a wall and slid down to the floor. He opened and closed his optics, trying to get used to the dark, narrow space. It just wouldn't work. Those thick walls, they were coming closer. Seconds were left before the ceiling would reach and crush him. Starscream covered his helm. His wings began to shake as if he were cold.

However, a loud shriek interrupted the flow of those paranoid thoughts. He looked at the floor and caught a chink of light illuminating his right ped. Was there a getaway? Quickly, the Seeker got to his pedes and tried finding the source.

Indeed, there was a gap in the right corner but not big enough for an escape route. The Seeker bent down and snuck a peek through the crack. A hallway was situated on the other side. Oddly enough, lamps were lighting up the passageway, yet how? Wasn't Chicago an isolated city?

"If I could get my swords to work again, it wouldn't be such an issue," Starscream growled, rubbing his right servo. "Why doesn't any of my weapons work?!"

Starscream had silenced himself for a moment. He heard music playing somewhere in the hall. Then a black blur passed by, creating a powerful wind that blew him away from the hatch. Like the blur the tune stopped playing.

The speed of him realizing what the creature was could be compared to that of a human pulling a stuck beast Transformer out of a door. Speaking of humans and stuck beast Transformers, Mikaela was facing a very similar situation on the other side of the building at that moment.

"Err, may be go differently?" Catilla suggested, frowning when the human tried pulling him by the servo. "May be choose other road?"

"No way. If I don't let Starscream out of that closet, he'll have me for lunch," the girl said with an annoyed sigh. "Just can't believe I'm helping him."

The Mini-Con cocked his head to the right in reaction.

"Decepticons destroy our home and use Mini-Cons for bad, bad deeds. Dualor use be Decepticon, but Catilla forgive. Dualor help I **a lot**," the beast noted, looking into the girl's eyes. "Decepticon, even Autobot, Mini-Con change good or evil."

"I know what you mean, Catilla, but traitors never change, especially if they're cowards. If a person betrays you once, he won't hesitate to do it again," Mikaela disagreed. "I'm just doing this for a girl who's somehow met him."

Then she pulled her partner by the arm once again. The wood began to give away under the pressure. A smile appeared on Catilla's faceplates as his frame got loose from the doorway's tight binds. Mikaela rubbed her face in tiredness. At least her friend was free now.

Having massaged her knees a bit, the human climbed out of the hatch into the room she'd started from. Catilla jumped in right after her and raised his fist into the air, celebrating, "Yes, out of prison! Hardest part over."

"Yeah, at least that hell's behind," his partner agreed, trying to regain her breath. "Let's go get him out."

Her new friend nodded.

"When Mikaela say you help Starscream cuz you do it for girl. Girl trust him for reason. May be good reason."

"Listen," Mikaela began, interrupting the beast. "I'm not going to argue with you about it. I just can't trust him, just can't! Maybe I will some time later, but there's no reason for me to trust him or believe a word he says."

The mechanic watched the Mini-Con cock his optic ridge at her.

"Sometimes," Catilla paused before saying, "trust determine flow of actions. Sometimes, one decision determine entire fate."

"Thing is that it's _sometimes_," the human emphasized.

"Catilla think this right. Mikaela think different. Catilla no want argument," the beast said, waving his left servo in defeat. "Forget this chat."

And so their short conversation ended. The animal was following her behind without saying a single protest or grumbling about the talk. They were close to reaching the corridor where the closet was located. Mikaela felt her hair stand on end when a trail of Energon came their way on the stairs. Catilla snarled behind her; he approached, bent down to the En trail and began sniffing it like a hunting dog.

Catilla's armor began to shift; the tiger snout of his right arm slammed shut. Mikaela backed away from the beast as he began to transform. The blue optics of the feline face lit up. His friend blinked once; a silver and golden saber-tooth tiger was gnawing at the trail seconds later. Snarling like a puma, the animal rushed upstairs and disappeared behind the door.

"Catilla, wait!" Mikaela shouted in worry.

She ran in pursuit of the beast while trying her best not to step into the yellow puddles. Neither the closed doors nor the terrifying dints on the walls or the torn out ceramic tiles could stop her from running after the animal. The rubbing against her skin painting in her free hand suddenly slid off and fell on the floor. Mikaela returned after her item and, picking it up, noticed a glint in the other hallway. The girl frowned in disgust; under a pile of planks lay lifeless the hound from before.

"Mikaela, he not here!" Catilla announced in the other part of the corridor.

"Shit," the girl cursed, summing the situation up with one word. "Just don't go anywhere without me, okay?"

"Yes," came an unclear reply.

His ally bit her lip; that unique manner of speaking could sometimes force her to think whether the animal knew what she meant or not. The subject didn't matter to her at that moment.

Mikaela reached her partner seconds after. Catilla was in the middle of clearing the road from loads of hunter frames. A sweat drop streamed down the girl's face as she was counting the dogs before her feet. Twenty — an entire squad had been offlined by some _thing_ or maybe even some _one_.

Starscream... Where was that 'Con?

"Two squadrons. There is... are... was," Catilla tried to report, losing himself in the right verb to say. "There... Were! There were two squadrons. One arrive five minutes earlier. Killed. Two arrive later. Killed also."

The beast's smile twitched a bit in embarrassment. Mikaela waved her hand at him, ignoring the mistake.

"Don't worry about it. At least I get what you mean," she lied a bit while thinking. _'Well, maybe a bit more than a half.'_

Catilla wagged his tail in glee. However, his happiness vanished as soon as it came when his companion looked towards the torn closet door.

"You think he did this?" she asked, not letting her eyes off the door. "I thought he was weaponless."

"Yes. Claw marks too big for Ravage drones," the tiger explained. "Brrr... You hear... That?"

Mikaela put her guard up. Catilla wasn't kidding; barely heard yet definitely rock music was playing not too far from their position. Curious, the explorer went into the closet with her bodyguard close behind. Odd; the music became a bit louder, yet the tiny chamber had no escape routes. Unlike his partner, Catilla seemed to catch the source. With his ears perked up he came up to a corner of the closet.

"Fake wall. Room behind it," the feline revealed, scratching the panel. "Catilla break or no break wall?"

"Guess yourself," Mikaela said with a cheesy smile.

Catilla laughed in joy. He got away from the obstacle and then charged at it, sinking his claws into the veneer. The material gave up under the daggers like a piece of butter being sliced by a knife. Dust was showering from the ceiling; cracks started appearing on the panel. The entire blockade began to shake as if being moved by a bulldozer. Catilla snarled, pushing the wall even harder.

"Come on, you can do it!" the girl started cheering when noticed him lowering his tail in defeat.

"Catilla try best!" the Mini-Con growled. "Groughh!"

Mikaela stepped away from the cat as the clay began to fall next to the digger. Her friend got to his hind legs and added more force to the panel. The wall began to move backwards under the pressure. Pinning his tail against the floor, Catilla headbutted the panel — the final blow they had been waiting for so long.

"Way to go!" the human celebrated, watching the barrier collapse to the floor with a weak tremor.

"Catilla sense Decepticon... Decepticon send distress signal!" the beast said, shocked.

"You know who it is, right?" Mikaela asked, folding her arms.

Sadly, the Mini-Con shook his head in denial.

"It can be a trap," the human named an option, scratching her head. "And it can't be at the same time."

"Mikaela never know less try," said the courageous, winking at his partner.

"In case if it is a trap, don't blame me. I wasn't insisting on going," said the careful.

The same melody had interfered with their talk. Mikaela and Catilla exchanged looks; her friend's serious gaze was burning with convincing eagerness. His tail stood up, obviously asking for the girl's permission, and she had granted it with a wave of her hand.

The twosome hustled into the dark passageway in silence, Catilla being the leader of the duo. Several prison bars came their way. Weak yet at least some lights were illuminating their road to the depths of the corridor systems. They jumped over a pair of Ravage drones lying in the middle of the road and turned left, according to the Mini-Con's scanners. The music was getting louder and clearer as they were going down the stairs. Whatever was the source, it was close, very close, to Mikaela's grief.

"Decepticon nearby," Catilla reported, decreasing his speed.

_'If Dead End said both Shockwave and Megatron have gone missing... I've got a bad feeling about this,'_ the girl remembered the _friendly_ conversation.

The music subsided, transmissions in low frequencies sounded in the distance. Most parts were played in a low voice, similar to the techniques used by DJ's; however, a higher squeal forced both rescuers to stop in their tracks and clam up their ears in pain. That sound, that horrible sound which reminded of nails being scrapped against a chalkboard mixed with the noise of bus breaking was driving them insane!

"Stop it!" Mikaela yelled at the top of her lungs.

As if her words were a demand of a ruler, the doer silenced himself loyally. Catilla uncovered his helm and got up to his paws. He looked behind a corner and, transforming into his real form, turned right. His companion followed him without questioning.

She shouldn't have.

"A human?!"

"Déjà vu," Mikaela said. "I think I've heard that before."

She approached a giant cage behind the iron bars of which awaited a white Mercedes Benz. Revving his engine, the sound of which reminded more of a broken down car's, the vehicle lit up its headlights, yet nothing but a pair of weak lights barely reached Catilla's peds.

_'Either he's faking it, or he's low on fuel,'_ Mikaela noted for herself.

"Hmm... So you're the Autobots' human friend, Mikaela Banes. I haven't been expecting your visit," the 'Con continued in a mechanical voice. "Since you're already here, I offer you a deal."

Catilla looked at his companion sidelong as if asking her to listen to what he had to say.

Taking a deep sigh, Mikaela accepted, "Depends on what kind of deal it is, Decepticon."

"Address to me as Soundwave, Mikaela. Decepticon is a too widespread expression," the Mercedes asked, turning his headlights off. "If you release me from captivity, I might help you in finding the person or the item you seek. Do we have a deal?"

"No, we don't," Mikaela said it simply and shortly. "I don't make deals with Decepticons, especially with Megadolt's most loyal elite officers."

Soundwave's side-view mirrors dropped. He tried scaring them with a roar of his engine, as the human believed, yet the so-called roar never sounded. Mikaela gave Catilla a nod and took her leave, not caring to look back. Her partner, surprisingly, nodded in approval and followed, leaving the cell.

"I knew it was _not_ the brightest idea to side up with Dead End. Why have I agreed to this..." the Mercedes mumbled loud enough for the duo to hear.

Mikaela turned to face the car.

"What do you mean by siding up with Dead End?" she asked.

But the answer never came.

"What's with the attitude?" the mechanic complained, coming towards the cage again.

Mikaela tried drumming against the bars, yet the car didn't react. Neither his headlights were on nor the engine made any sound. Something definitely wasn't right.

"Any idea what's with him?" the girl addressed the Mini-Con.

"Stasis lock," came a short reply. "It happen when no much Energon left."

"Damn, wouldn't it have been easier if he'd just told me?" Mikaela complained.

Catilla decided to stay mute for the rest of the while, much to his friend's annoyance.

"Fine, you were right," Mikaela admitted, giving up on the quarrel. "Happy?"

"Happy or no happy not help here," Catilla said, crossing his servos.

Mikaela ignored her friend's angry stare. She slipped through the bars and walked up to the car. Even though he was in stasis, or how it was called, the mechanic wasn't about to give up her guard yet. Taking a few careful steps, she placed her hand on the bumper, but Soundwave still didn't react.

Mikaela opened the front door and looked at the dashboard, saying, "Yeah, he's coming near zero. Wonder how he's reached this state."

"Maybe man in red lock him here?" Catilla guessed, running to the human's side.

"The Colonel? Nah, couldn't be."

"No man in red hat! Man in red!" the Mini-Con corrected.

"He meant me, I believe."

Catilla jumped around to comfort the speaker. His tail began to swing rapidly and the optics of his cat muzzle lit up again. Mikaela stood away from the car and closed the door behind her. Gallant, the Mini-Con from her vision, was aiming a ray gun at her partner with cold, lifeless faceplates. His purple optics shone brighter when Catilla switched to beast mode.

"I can neutralize you from this position with minor effort, Catilla," the enemy warned, looking at his weapon. "Take that for notice. Oh, and I refer to you, Starscream and Dualor as well."

A tyrannosaur a bit taller than Mikaela came out of the shadows with Starscream by his side. The Seeker had his gun aimed at Gallant's back.

"I've been waiting days for this moment," the 'Con snickered. "You'll pay for turning me into **this**, Gallant!"

"And for trapping Catilla and I in this dead city!" Dualor growled.

"Attack me. I suggest we settle this right here!" the crimson Mini-Con challenged, aiming his gun at Dualor.

_'I don't like the sound of this,'_ Mikaela mused, hiding behind the car.

She stood away and watched from afar for the brawl to start. Gallant stood surrounded by Catilla, Starscream, and Dualor but didn't show any emotion. A glint in his eye and a hidden behind his back servo had earned the girl's attention.

_'Dead End, where are you?'_ the girl thought for a second_. 'We could really use your help right now!'_

"We're not going to go easy on you!" Dualor shouted. "It's payback time!"

_'I was afraid you would say that,'_ Mikaela thought, bending down behind the car.

* * *

><p><strong>Will Starscream finally get some answers from the sneaky Gallant? What will Mikaela do to stop the fierce battle? Find out in the tenth chapter.<strong>

**Suggestions, comments, notes, and reviews are very much appreciated. Feel free to express your opinions!**


	10. Chapter 10: Secrets from Me

**Chapter 10**

**Secrets from Me**

Dualor unleashed a flamethrower on his enemy, adding his all to burn those swords to smithereens. Like a scared cat Gallant jolted away from the fire, but there Starscream comforted him. The Seeker jabbed the clawed blades on his servo into the Mini-Con's shoulder and knocked the yellow saber out of his grip. His target didn't make a sound, rather rubbed the shallow crack in the armor yet made no movement.

"You can't win," Dualor said, proud. "We're too much for you to handle."

Gallant's optics lit up.

"I believe it is a contradiction," he said, emotionless. "A sole hit does not show the future outcome."

"You wrong!" Catilla roared, his teeth growing twice as long.

"Prove your point to me if you dare," the swordsman challenged, looking at both the cat and the flier.

"I'll make you swallow those words!" Starscream threatened, his servos shaking with pent up rage.

So they both attacked him, the Seeker with his gun from afar while the tiger charged at the weakened mech like a battering ram. The Seeker felt his grasp on the weapon weaken. His bullets, they were bouncing off the armor like rubber balls that weren't leaving any dents or marks at all. That armor, it was reflecting noticeable white light as if it had just been polished.

Then he awoke from his thoughts at the last moment, when Catilla was about to strike the knight.

"Don't do it, fool!" Starscream warned, ceasing fire. "He's got a force field!"

But the tiger ignored him.

Catilla slashed the enemy's feet in attempt to trip him. Both Dualor and Starscream just stared in the back, watching the knight take another sword out of the sheath in his blue knight boot and jab it into the cat's spine, cutting right through the armor. Gallant released the sword and let the frozen animal fall to the ground.

"Catilla!" Mikaela squealed from behind the car, running towards the cage bars.

"Stay away, Jones," Dualor warned, running towards the cell. "He wants your badge, and I can't let that happen!"

"She's not Jones, she's Banes, you idiot!" Starscream corrected, annoyed.

"Banes?!" Gallant blurted out, adding emotion to his voice for the first time. "Colin Banes' daughter?!"

All gazes were averted to the enemy. Gallant was backing away from the trio with his mouth gaping wide. He dropped the sword and hightailed out of the jail with Dualor running after him in beast mode. Starscream, unlike the dinosaur, was too dumbfounded to make a move.

"Catilla, Catilla, can you get up?" Mikaela shouted.

The human shoved her partner by the shoulder in hope of waking him up. Catilla hissed in pain but didn't move an inch. His optics hadn't gone dim, which was a good sign, yet the bleeding injury on his back wasn't calming the girl rubbing his armor at all.

"Not waste time. Get Gallant," the Mini-Con whispered, coughing Energon out. "Catilla failed."

"Don't be like that. I'll call Nolan! He should get Dead End to help you, so don't worry," the girl reassured him, petting the armor.

Starscream gazed from afar as the human was searching her pockets for a phone. She'd checked all of them: the jacket pockets, the jeans pockets, the small patch pockets. Mikaela dropped her head in defeat. She clenched her fists, her cheeks were burning red in anger, yet the girl didn't seem to give up. That pleading look in her eyes — he didn't like it, especially when it was addressed to him.

"Call Dead End," she asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

"_Why _should I?" the mech questioned, crossing his servos in protest.

The Seeker didn't utter a word afterwards. They both were playing a game of stares until Mikaela looked away and said her request in a louder, more demanding voice, "He's dying, can't you see that? Help him! Call Dead End!"

The Energon in his lines began to boil. He gnashed his denta yet tried not showing it too much. An argument with the girl was something he didn't want to face with.

_'Who does she think she is to order __**me**__ around?'_ he thought, puffing steam from all the anger. _'I'm not their lackey! I'm not anyone's servant!'_

"Starscream, please!" the human begged, looking straight into his optics.

And there she'd made that disgusting puppy dog look that the Seeker just couldn't resist. Banes wasn't faking it, he knew that; that stare had banished his fury and made him feel uneasy. He lowered his gun, almost dropping it; something was going very wrong.

"Starscream?" Mikaela asked, clearly noticing the unexpected change.

Starscream bent down and pressed his palm against the floor to stay still. Interferences were obscuring his vision. He'd almost lost the balance when tried moving his knee forward. Several error windows kept showing up.

_Recharge required. Danger: overheat._

"I'll send your... Message," the Seeker said, activating the comm.

::Dead End. Request help. Coordinates sent::

He felt warm hands on his shoulders. Starscream raised his helm; the girl, she was securing him, not letting him fall face down to the floor. His entire frame began to shake like a leaf as the stubborn programming was forcing him into a recharge.

Then, Dead End's reply came over the comm.

::Request received. We will arrive in ten minutes. Dead End out::

"Whoa," Mikaela said, catching the mech. "Easy there."

The Seeker pressed his helm against her jacket, hiding his optics out of her sight. A shiver ran down his spine when the human wrapped her cold arm around his neck, but he didn't claw or snarl at her. Taking a deep vent, he relaxed a bit and looked behind the girl's back. He watched the white car parked behind the bars, but what did the star mark on its bumper mean? The flier couldn't identify it; those interferences were still ruining the accuracy of his sight. The sign darkened and darkened until he saw nothing in the prison, nothing in his surroundings, nothing but the darkness around him.

Shadows could obscure any person's mind, be they a human or a Transformer. Someone would lose himself in the dark when tired while others — when lost in choices. A very similar situation had occurred to Dead End's team. Without any leads or success, their eagerness had disappeared, yet the Decepticon had managed to revive their broken spirits with the aid of a single comment.

_There exist moments in life when we lose faith in ourselves, begin to doubt our decisions and have no wish to continue on. That is when we should stay strong and fend off the fear within our souls._

Sometimes, Kierra was wondering why Mikaela and even Nolan called that mech a pessimist. She didn't have the courage to just jump between them and prove her opinion right, but the girl had come up with a different outlook of him. Since said 'Con appeared as a still a not-entirely familiar persona to her, comments on that subject weren't optional.

Even now, while waiting behind the medbay doors for either Mikaela or Dead End to come out, those thoughts wouldn't leave her mind.

Until, of course, Nolan's words caught her by surprise.

"They're not going to come out any time soon, kid. Go take a sip of soda or rest at least. You too, Dualor," he suggested, approaching the duo.

The silver and yellow Mini-Con huffed and shook his head. He bent his peds under the bench and continued staring at the enormous door before them. Nolan gave Kierra a questionable look, obviously waiting for her reply. The girl, however, stayed mute.

"There's nothing to worry about. Mikaela and Dead End know what they're doing. Both Catilla and Starscream will be good as new," the guy said, hiding his hands into the pockets. "So stay positive and let it be a brighter day."

Kierra covered her face with her palms.

"I trust them, but that doesn't make me or Dualor less worried," she noted. "You don't know what it's like to lose a friend."

She shut her mouth right after those words had escaped her lips.

"I... I didn't mean to say that. Sorry," the girl said, keeping out of Nolan's sight.

The guy looked back for a second but then took his leave of the group, grumbling aloud on purpose, "You're such panic-mongers. Unbelievable."

_'I wish you could learn how we feel some time soon,'_ Kierra thought, gritting her teeth. _'Jerk.'_

Then a roar of an engine sounded in the medbay. The teen and Dualor jumped from their positions as something rammed against the door, leaving a huge dent in the metal.

"The hell! What are you doing?!" Nolan shouted, running up to the duo.

"Something's up in there," Dualor pointed out, approaching the door.

The door slid up and Dead End came out to the group. Nodding at his partner, the mech averted his gaze to the twosome. For a moment, Kierra didn't feel as confident as before. Backing away into the wall, she was gawking at the 'Con as if he were the famous Decepticon Warlord himself.

"Dualor, Catilla has been. Fully repaired. Rest for the next two days is required. For absolute recovery," the mech said. "He's waiting for you."

"Thank you, Dead End," the Mini-Con said in gratitude.

With a smile on his faceplates Dualor hustled into the chamber to meet his awaiting pal. Kierra rushed after the dinosaur, but Dead End's unclear proposal stopped her in the doorway. She went around his ped and met his optics, feeling puny when the 'Con looked down at her, his bear trap resembling lower jaw being the object of her fear. When said mech bent down to the human, she felt that feeling leave her for a moment.

"Do not be startled. Kierra. I know my appearance. Causes grief. But I mean no harm," Dead End reassured her. "Let us put this. Aside. And let me. Ask a few things. About Starscream."

Kierra bit her lip nervously. The mech continued the talk for her.

"How long. Has it passed. Since you've met him?" he posed a question unexpected to her. "Had he recharged. During that period?"

"Err, umm," she paused, losing herself in her thoughts. _'I can't tell them now. Not yet. Not even to 'Scream. He'll lose himself if I tell him that I've known him before.'_

The teen pretended she was trying to remember by scratching her head.

"Oh, wait, this is the third day. As for recharging, I couldn't make him in that black Autobot truck, but he didn't look too tired..." the girl answered. "Was that what's happened?"

A vent escaped the mech's mouth.

"It's a mix of. Two factors that. Caused the system crash," he revealed. "One is the lack of recharge. The last time he had. A full recharge was three. Earth weeks ago. His systems overloaded. Which caused the malfunction."

Kierra shifted her gaze on the floor for a moment.

"What's the second reason?" she asked while thinking. _'Man, that's right after Sonar lost him in the city!'_

"The one that intrigues. Me the most. Is his new form. I thought he was not. Starscream until I checked. His CNA. It is a. Perfect match," the analyst began, bending closer to the girl. "Regardless of that. His programming has gained. New coding. Which became active before his recharge."

"You mean, those changes can drain all of his energy?" Kierra made a guess.

"No, that's not what Dead means here. Know what a Trojan horse is?" Nolan asked, earning himself a "duh" in reply. "Great. That's what he's talking about — the infiltrators. Dead's described the program which enters the PC's hard drive and begins formatting its disks and deleting all files with lightning speed."

"To say shortly. This code. Is changing Starscream into a. New Mini-Con. If we don't rewrite it. His memory banks might be wiped. Clean," Dead End paraphrased the programmer language. "Or he might. Lose himself in old memories. Forever."

Forever... She couldn't believe what the mech had just said. If he'd lost his memory again, the team, Starscream and she in particular, would have been back on square one, again. Kierra was staggered; whatever occurred, she had to keep her tongue behind her teeth. Then a fact so meaningful struck her mind.

"Does he remember the previous day?" she questioned, covering her mouth with a fist in hope.

"That is. What I want you. To find. Out," Dead End answered, his lower jaw clamping up. "I sadly have the feeling. He does not. Remember me at. All. He won't talk. To either me. Or Mikaela."

"Give me a try," Kierra said, eager. _'Stars, what's wrong with you?'_

"Nolan. I need your. Help with one. Aspect," the 'Con added, inviting the humans. "After. You."

The girl followed with Nolan running in pursuit of his partner and then up to Mikaela, who was waving at him. She was in the middle of polishing the hood of the Mercedes from before. A blue canister was placed against a wall behind her. Kierra looked sidelong at the vehicle; the dent in the car's bumper was telling her a lot but not enough to make her wish to point it out in public or come up to them at least.

Kierra couldn't find her guide anywhere. She was too focused on the car to notice him leave somewhere. Moving the fringe out of her sight, the girl went around the room with her eyes. That area, where Mikaela was repairing the car, was designed as a garage with a hatch in the corner, vast amounts of shelves full of instruments, and barrels of oil, fuel, or Energon; anyway — a paradise for mechanics.

The hallway farther lead to a larger workshop which most-likely belonged to Dead End. Remembering the mech's words, she hustled towards the doorway.

"I don't get why he's ignoring us," Dualor's voice came from the room. "What did we do?"

Kierra ran around a corner and bumped into someone's back. Dualor, stunned, jolted up. Catilla, unlike him, broke into laughter and pointed his digit at the tyrannosaur who meanwhile was goggling at her, unable to recover from the shock.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," the girl apologized, giggling at the Rex's gaping mouth. "Uhh..."

Both Catilla and Dualor stood away from the berth Starscream was sitting on, eyeing the trio in silence. His optics clearly focused on the teen and narrowed. Kierra grew even more confused when he made five holes in the metal with his claws. The tips of his wings began to shake as she approached him.

"Hey, take it easy. I'm Kierra. Not such a new name, right?" the girl asked, making another step. "Well?"

The Seeker was simply observing her with his wings lowered.

"Umm, Starscream?" Kierra asked, sitting beside him. "Do you remember any of us?"

She leaned closer to put her hand on the mech's shoulder. Starscream's shoulder plates shifted under her hand. At the speed of lightning he bolted up from the bench and raised his claw. Kierra didn't feel how the Seeker left a scratch on her forearm, but the stinging pain that became even more intense after she moved it away was unbearable. It hurt, that shallow wound left by the sharpest hooks had immobilized her entire arm.

She shot the Seeker a look, hoping to see a change, but he stayed the same. That look, distrustful, full of doubt and even showing hate, forced her hold back. Starscream turned around and rushed out of the bay, away from trouble.

"Mikaela, Dead End, Nolan, help! Kierra hurt!" Catilla alerted, running out of the sick bay. "She bleeding!"

The ringing of instruments, the noise of heels hitting against the floor broke the golden silence in the chamber. Kierra didn't notice how a crowd gathered around her. Nolan, the one arriving last, brought a first aid kit and dispersed the group, Mikaela being the only one to stay.

Then the teen dropped her head. Even though the cut was hurting like crazy, she ignored her surroundings, ignored how Nolan began disinfecting the wound, or how Mikaela sat by her side.

Even now, fifteen minutes after the incident, she didn't move an inch, rather kept staring at a transparent tube with green bubbles going up, down and around the glass. She scanned Dead End's table with her eyes and noticed another tube with a yellow crystal radiating in it. Kierra stood up from the bench and came a bit closer to the object of her interest.

"Kierra. No, wait. Kiana, or how was it?" Nolan asked.

The guy walked into the room with his hands in his pockets. Looking at the crystal tube, he approached the table at a slow pace.

"It's Kierra. Kiana's my code name," the girl answered, bored.

"Code name? What do you need a code name for?" the guy questioned, cocking his brow.

"My friend told me to keep my name secret with such people like the Colonel or Gallant around," she answered while adding in her thoughts. _'Like I'm gonna' tell you.'_

"Well, fine, I'm not planning on making a whole survey," Nolan said, shrugging those words off. "Anyway, care to help me out? I'm no strict manager, to tell in advance."

Kierra puffed steam in annoyance. She folded her hands and looked at the guy, waiting for him to come into conflict. However, the technician stayed calm, and cocked his head to the right, obviously waiting for her to speak up. Oh, right, he had to be worried about the incident after all.

"Just get to the point," the girl said, tapping her foot. "What is it?"

"I need an assistant to help with fixing one car. There's not that much to do, just pass me the tools," Nolan explained with a friendly smile. "What'cha say, Kierra? Si o no?"

_'Fixing cars? Why can't their mechanic do it? She's an expert... She was busy with that Mercedes though... Fine, I'm still sitting my butt here,'_ she mused, nodding to herself. "Si, and no Spanish please."

Whether he was satisfied or not, she didn't know; that smile vanished from his lips as soon as it appeared. Nolan grabbed a case from a berth next to hers and walked towards another door on the other side of the room. Kierra followed him into a corridor that led into the lowest level of the ship.

She was trying her best not to get lost in the dark hallway. The girl's eyes darted at a green lamp glowing on the ceiling. It resembled an arrow that was crossed out with two thick lines. Said sign was pointing straight — the way they had chosen. Although they passed the light, Kierra kept staring at it with her head turned back.

"Watch your step in here. We haven't cleaned this place yet, so be aware of—" Nolan paused, stopping in place.

He spat on the floor and shook his head.

"Damn! I forgot the transistor in Mika's toolbox!" the guy cursed, placing his case on the floor. "Wait here and don't go anywhere, got it?"

"Pfft, yeah, sure I did," Kierra replied, sighing in annoyance.

Nolan rushed to the entrance, and pretty soon she could only see the purple stripes of his black baseball cap.

There she awaited, alone in an empty passageway, sitting on the briefcase her guide had left behind. It was quiet, way too quiet. Kierra could only hear her own breathing and her heart beating. The Decepticons made the walls so thick nothing could be heard in the hall, nothing other than the noise of a lamp flicking somewhere in the corridor.

She imagined a tall Decepticon walking from room to room, guarding the passageway. The 'Con in her dreams looked a lot like a police car. He was gazing at the ceiling, obviously waiting for an event to occur, but what could that be? She would never know as that imagination had vanished out of her sight. Kierra clenched the case's belt; she heard footsteps, and those weren't Nolan's. An image of heavy knight boots stepping on the floor popped up in her mind.

Slowly, the teen turned her head back to look what it was. She wrapped her hands around herself to keep calm; nothing could be there other than her imagination. The hair on her hands stood up; she heard a shuffle not too far from her.

"Starscream?" Kierra called, getting up from the box. "Is that you?"

The shuffling ended. A pair of red optics emerged from behind the corner.

"Stars?" the girl called again, making a step forward. "Please tell me it's you."

Kierra rubbed the bandage on her forearm. It was still hurting but not as much as her heart. The girl looked up again; the person had escaped without a trace.

"So it really was you," she uttered, disappointed. "Guess that virus Gallant planted really has changed you. If only I could tell—"

Then a cardboard box fell on the floor. Kierra walked up to the corner; several boxes, or what had remained of them, were lying torn into shreds and thrown on the right side of the hall. The trail was leading into another narrow corridor which was lit up by a faint green lamp.

Clenching her fists, Kierra ran into passageway in the end of which a half-opened door decorated with a huge Decepticon insignia in the middle could be seen. She held her tracks next to the gap and peeped inside.

To her astonishment, a police car was parked in the middle of the garage, its white doors the only ones visible in the cellar. It seemed to be just polished and brand new, yet whom did it belong to? Nolan? Kierra rolled her eyes; that couldn't be true. However, something had triggered a memory with that car. A line in white was inscribed on the back door. The girl froze in fear; Barricade. The vehicle before her eyes was none other than that Decepticon.

_'How'd he get in here?'_ she thought, not daring to enter the room.

But the curiosity had got the best of her.

_'He doesn't look like to be in recharge,'_ the teen mused, approaching the Saleen. _'But he must have reacted by this time, since he's a Decepticon.'_

Kierra stopped next to the front door and placed her hand on the armor.

_'It's cold... Does that mean that he's offline?'_ she thought, patting the frame. _'Hey, is that a... transistor?'_

Her sight hadn't lied to her; the tool really was lying on the front seat of the cockpit. Kierra opened the car door and sat into the driver's place. She took the item and began examining it. That device had no great value, really. It was one of the millions of transistors a mechanic had, yet one question stayed unanswered in her mind.

How did it get into the 'Con's cockpit?

Whatever, at least she found it. All the teen had to do was wait for Nolan.

"Hmm?" she purred.

The girl noticed a key lying on the carpet and picked it up. It was shaped like a Decepticon insignia. Curious, she inserted it into the ignition switch. The girl released the key as it transformed into a pin that sunk into the lock. The dashboard lit up, the engine started running, the same faction symbol on the steering wheel lit up in purple. Kierra grabbed the yoke, waiting for action.

What a wrong choice.

Sensing the girl's presence, the Saleen spun the control column into a different direction. The teen yelped in fear as Barricade hit the gas pedal and began whirling round and round the garage like a twister. Kierra buried her head into her knees. She had to do it, but on the other hand, she couldn't. The teen cursed and hit the breaks to stop the car.

Barricade growled in language of clicks and whistles. He released the gas pedal, yet not in defeat; the unwanted passanger screamed as the awoken 'Con activated his cannons and unleashed heavy fire all around the room. One of the panels dropped to the floor, revealing an escape route.

"Wait, Barricade!" Kierra tried reasoning with the car, taking hold of the driving wheel. "You'll only hurt yourself!"

"I can hardly agree with that!" the Saleen snarled, breaking loose from the girl's grasp. "I will not let you control me, meatbag!"

He wasn't kidding alright. Kierra sunk her nails into the seat as Barricade activated his accelerators and rocketed into the hallway. The inner plating began to shift. Several spikes and pikes started growing out of the armor and all of them were pointed at the teen from random directions, from all sides.

"Never underestimate me, snot! No human's ever gotten out of my car!" Barricade threatened, his voice gruff and sharp from all the fury. "It's a matter of do and pay!"

"What the heck!?" Nolan's shouts came from afar. "Hold it right there!"

The guy entered a code in a panel yards away from their position. Kierra sunk into the seat; a wall was descending from the ceiling. Everything that had remained of her courage vanished as Barricade barked, "Futile attempt, you slagger!"

He revealed his guns once again, aiming them at Nolan directly. The teen kicked the spikes under her feet in attempt to reach the breaks, yet the thorns kept growing and multiplying when she would break just one of them. She heard the blasters warming on the car's armor; he was about to shoot!

"You will regret doing that afterwards, Barricade! Don't be a fool!"

The Saleen released the gas pedal right after he'd heard those words from the radio. Using her chance, Kierra pushed the gas and swerved the car under the wall, scratching the roof and knocking the lightbar off. The beacon went crashing behind the obstacle while the wheels of the vehicle were whistling from the harsh movement. Kierra flinched at the sight of a dead end coming their way. They were about to kiss the wall!

"Hold on, you two!" Nolan exclaimed.

The girl hit her forehead against the steering wheel. Barricade stopped. They'd almost reached the wall but hadn't collided with it. How? Kierra gulped nervously. She looked at the rear-view window and noticed a Peugeot anchored to a pole in the back by a string. A similar cord tied the police car to Dead End's bumper.

Nolan rushed towards the front door and almost tore it open with a powerful pull. She heard the wire retract from the police car's bumper, and Barricade huff something in a mixture of buzzing and English. A different sight, however, distracted the teen from the actions happening near her. Those two red optics staring at her from a platform above, flickering every two seconds, were bearing into her soul, forcing the human press deeper against the seat. Barricade drew his spikes back as the girl glued herself to the seat. Kierra could have sworn she'd heard someone say...

"I've spared your life, girl, but you shall regret keeping secrets from me."

* * *

><p><strong>Apparently, Starscream knows more than the group thinks. What secrets is Kierra hiding? Can Mikaela and her teammates cope with their new Decepticon allies? Find out in the next chapters! <strong>

**I appreciate reviews very much. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts and ideas!**


	11. Chapter 11: Stuck In a Thought

**Chapter 11**

**Stuck In a Thought**

A grey wolf was running in the field, seeking shelter from a large shadow. The full moon was reflected in its green, full of fear eyes. The wolf's fur stood up as an odd three-headed beast caught up with it, bearing its yellow, stained teeth. The hellhound grabbed the escapee by the tail, but Mikaela didn't see the ending. She turned away from the laptop screen.

"Geez, someone's afraid of a classic horror movie," Nolan mocked, hitting the pause button. "It's rated PG-13 just so you knew, which stands for teens onlyz."

"I'm not afraid of horror movies, Mr. Smarty Pants. I've seen enough hellhounds this morning," the girl said with a smirk on her lips.

"Ha, those clones can't be called fierce at all. They're dummies!" the guy declared with a cocky grin. "The Greek Cerberus's the mightiest there is!"

"Do not. Argue. Nolan."

As soon as he heard that voice, the guy sighed, irritated. Nolan spun in his chair to scold the mech yet had only managed to pronounce the "D" letter. Mikaela cocked her brow; she turned around. The girl supported her head with her knuckle in boredom as Dead End and Soundwave made one step forward to the human's tiny base in the higher level of the Control Room.

Even though they had helped him, so to say, revealed the location of the Harbinger, Mikaela wasn't convinced enough that they had made a great decision by letting Megatron's most loyal officer join their group. Barricade had almost killed Kierra in his blind rage, and now they both, to say figuratively, had turned their vocals off. Not to mention the girl was staying close to the police car of her nightmares. Sometimes, Mikaela couldn't understand that teen.

"You're wasting your time watching meaningless pasquinades," Soundwave expressed, frowning at the screen. "You could have begun gathering valuable data on the supposed Teeth locations."

Nolan looked sidelong at the mech.

"If you need teeth, visit the dentist," he said with a deadpan expression on his face. "Or you can borrow Dead End's old jaw. Either suits me fine."

Mikaela fell deep in thought. She imagined a sharp-toothed jaw hanging by the sides of his helm and shaking whenever he spoke. She tried to keep a straight face when the white mech clenched his fist, the armor screeching under the pressure.

"I meant the U-, S- and B-Teeth, one of which is in your friend's, Mikaela Banes' posession" Soundwave said through gnashed denta . "Give me the data you have gathered on the Crack Team. I will present my data in exchange."

"All right, but I've already recorded our data in the Harbinger's databases, so help yourself out," Nolan said, yawning. "I'mma join you later, in ten or fifteen minutes."

"Noted," the 'Con said emotionlessly.

The trio watched Soundwave go downstairs to the console and enter a combination of codes in a matter of seconds. Soon enough, Cybertronian letters started flashing on the screen. He replaced each of them with a different glyph that bore a resemblance to the one being deleted. Then the text transformed into a random, as she believed, code that consisted of arabic numerals from five till nine. The hacker hit a button on the keyboard, and the countdown began. However, Dead End's remark distracted the watcher from the display.

"What did you say?" she asked, turning to face the mech.

"I have a. Request. Can we. Talk?" the 'Con questioned, much to the girl's dismay.

"Uhh, sure."

"Luck, Mika," her friend said, taking the laptop from the table. "Another sleepless night is coming. Stay strong."

Stay strong? Was there yet something the duo hadn't told her again?

Mikaela, somewhat unsure, nodded and followed the 'Con out of the Control Bridge. Dead End hunkered down and offered his hand for her to climb on. He placed her on his shoulder and went on a stroll along the corridor without saying a single word. His companion was staring at him, hoping to actually begin the talk, yet the 'Con was dragging his feet.

After five minutes of walking in silence, the mech reminded her, "Today's. Accident was unplanned."

The girl scratched her head, asking, "Unplanned? You mean unexpected?"

"I've made a. Mistake... Again," the 'Con said in a lowered tone but, shaking his head, recovered the usual monotonous voice. "Yes. Unexpected. I expected. Kierra to befriend him. As quickly as our. Commander."

"What are you getting at?" Mikaela asked, confused. "Wait, don't tell me she's got some special powers no one knows about."

"No. But a factor unknown. To us has an influence on them both," the 'Con corrected, shrugging in reply. "I want to. Prove one. Concept. And I need you. To help me find out whether. It's true or. Not."

On the one hand, the request sounded rewarding, since watching horror movies with Nolan, wandering around the base, and doing nothing in general wasn't bringing any profit. Plus, a sense so demanding was pleading her to say, 'Yes'. On the other hand, what would she get from it? The girl felt uneasy to ask that particular question to her employer, because he would slip away from the topic like a sly snake.

Minutes had passed, yet no answer had come up on her mind. She shook her head mentally; either way, even though they were teammates, that proposal had slipped out of her mouth, "I understand you, Dead End, but if you tell me what I want to know, consider it a deal."

The mech stopped in place. That _request_ had obviously hit him hard enough to answer in a nervous stutter, "O-Of course. W-What. Is that you. Want to know?"

Hesitating a bit, she offered, "Neither Soundwave nor Barricade want to help us much. Well, I'm not completely sure about Barricade, but Soundwave doesn't look pleased with working with Nolan. Anyway, why do you help us?"

"Soundwave has. A reason to help us. He wouldn't be in this right. Now if Laserbeak had been by his side. Laserbeak's Soundwave's best minion. So he plans. On retrieving him from. The Crack Team," the mech explained. "That is why. He overreacts at this. Moment. Plus, he. Has a personal grudge on. Humans."

Mikaela frowned at those words. What could the humans have actually done to be added into the Officer's blacklist? Rage got over her mind as the memory of said mech's faction storming the Autobot team in Mission City appeared before her eyes. Cries of horrified families trying to protect their children echoed in her ears. She rubbed the sides of her head; the human felt no sympathy for the 'Con, at least until Dead End stated the reason.

"Your kind. Offlined his second best minion. Buzzsaw. A while ago. Laserbeak is the. Only one left."

_'Man, I never thought a Decepticon would care about his troop that much,'_ Mikaela thought, surprised. "But what about Barricade?"

"No 'Bot or 'Con has ever. Known what's up on. Barricade's mind. He seemed to be on. Starscream's side. But he is best known. For changing sides. For his own. Entertainment," Dead End described. "I will tell you. About myself. After you complete. My deal. Which you most-likely are going to decline."

"Which I'm most-likely going to accept," the human corrected with a smile. _'I will find out what you're hiding, Dead End. Face it.'_

"I believe you have. Seen my name. In that building from. Before," Dead End reminded. "Gallant Crimson's. Minions have located. Our three Energon. Reserves. And put those signs. For The Colonel to notice. Thundercracker has. Already destroyed one. In Kowloon. I retrieved the Energon. From my base. In Chicago. And leveled it. As well."

"Let me guess, you want me to help him pulverize the third one," the girl guessed while thinking_. 'So, he's with us too. We should keep an eye on him. I don't want the same incident happen to anyone else.'_

"Do not. Worry about Thundercracker. He has no. Reason to attack you," Dead End reassured.

Mikaela got goose bumps on her skin as those words came from the mech's vocalizer. Either the 'Con was a telepath that he knew her every single thought, or her blank expression was gave her away most of the time. The girl swallowed her nervousness; she was hoping for the second concept to be true.

"You were wrong. I offer you to. Take Kierra and Soundwave. And investigate. My Mini-Con followers. High Wire, Grindor and. Sureshock should meet you," the mech presented his task. "Do I. Have your. Agreement?"

Her answer was simple enough, "Yeah, as long as you watch both Barricade and Starscream."

Dead End averted his optics to the girl as if asking what she bore in mind by having said that. He placed the human on the floor and wiped that confused look off his faceplates.

"Note taken," the 'Con approved in a emotionless voice. "You all shall. Meet up at the. Warp gate."

Then the mech left towards the elevator to their right. Mikaela followed the teammate with her eye until the heavy doors of the elevator closed before his form. Dead End's plans had posed tons of questions for her. A glint in his optics could tell he had thought every single part out before assigning them to the task.

Something about that Decepticon was absurd. First both Nolan and he tried their best not to let the truth slip out of their mouths. Now, the 'Con had actually agreed to let the cat out of the bag, and Mikaela didn't like it being all that easy.

She began jogging the memory of their first encounter. That day had stayed bright and clear in her mind. The early morning when Nolan, all dusty and in torn up clothes, arose near her garage with a promising yet causing suspicion request.

* * *

><p>He had that modernized Peugeot with him, and judging by the looks of it, the car had survived a serious collision with a truck. A noticeable slash was going from the right headlight till the very filler cap with numerous metal shards covered in red paint sticking out of the rip. Mikaela dropped the portable radio in her hands. The car, it moved towards the road by itself! She couldn't believe her eyes. It wasn't another one before her, yet it just couldn't be true!<p>

"Hey, Dead, don't worry, she's not a shark to bite you. Come back here," the guy said, beckoning to the car. "No one's going to repair you besides her, right, Mika?"

His friend looked at him, then at the vehicle on the road.

"Uhh, what? I-I'm a mechanic, not an alien robot surgeon!" the girl made a point, quite unsure.

"He doesn't need surgery but someone who could cover that gash! And don't tell me about Rudy, or Fleece. They'd never agree to this!" Nolan said, taking his baseball cap off and throwing it aside. "I know I still owe you for short-circuiting that iPhone, and I'mma pay for it right now, even trice as much, but just repair the car!"

"One, you don't have that much. Two, you forgot the magic word," Mikaela said with a cheeky smile.

Nolan's face swelled up like a balloon in anger. Taking a deep sigh, he relaxed and put his palms together, begging, "Pretty please, Mika. I'll be the happiest man in the Universe if you help us out."

"Fine, I'll try to repair your friend, but the iPhone's still on you," the girl said, picking the radio up. "Call him."

Her pal bowed to her in gratitude, but to Mikaela it reminded more of monk greeting his Master. She opened a box and got all the tools needed for the repairs. The table in the back was soon filled with all sorts of instruments, and cans of substances like paint and glue. The car, much to her awe, hadn't driven in into the garage yet. Odd. That Peugeot was still waiting near her mailbox, not making a single sound.

"Dead End, move already! She's my school friend. You can trust her!" Nolan said, persuading the vehicle. "Besides, you don't want to be caught by the neighbors, or do you? I'm not going to report to the cops!"

Dead End, as his name turned out to be, huffed in a low voice, "I don't. Care. They're going to. Catch us. Anyway."

"Pfft, what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, Nolan? Don't tell it's for stealing again," Mikaela rebuked, placing her hands onto her hips.

Then she noticed a familiar symbol on the machine's bumper. Twisted to the side yet still visible for the girl's sharp eye, hung a part of an all too familiar faction insignia. The mechanic no longer felt the toolbox in her hands. She backed off from the Peugeot and stopped yards away from the duo. Nolan was smiling at her, biting his lip in awkwardness. The Decepticon himself decided to stay mute for the entire talk.

"There's no way I'm helping a Decepticon, Nolan."

* * *

><p>A horn of a car snapped Mikaela out of her thoughts. At first, she couldn't get where she'd ended up in. Kierra was sitting behind her, poking her shoulder to gain attention. Wait, right, they were going to Ibiza with Soundwave, but which part of the island had they reached? The girl looked out of the window.<p>

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, pulling back into the car.

They were going down a steep mountain road meters above the rocky shore. Tall crags were pointing out of the water, waves were crashing against the mighty peaks, drenching the seagulls sitting on their tips. The flock of birds hurried past the car towards the west side of the island. Only then had Mikaela noticed one detail: the car had stopped its movement.

Turning her head to the windshield, she sunk into the seat, watching a herd of goats approach the car. The animals seemed to be wild, since no collars could be seen on their necks, and no herder seemed to be around. Bleating, they tried surrounding the vehicle, but a shift of mechanisms forced Mikaela look at the car's dashboard.

"Hey, don't shoot them! They haven't done anything to you!" Kierra yelled, trying to get to the controls.

"They are a blocking our road, so I advise you to sit back and be quiet," the Mercedes said, careless.

Two guns emerged from under the doors' armor. The weapons' tips lit up, ready to fire. Quickly, Mikaela hit the switch on the steering wheel, creating a loud, clear horn that sounded like six cars beeping at the same time. She raised her head; the astonished flock was running in all directions: up the mountain, down the road, and jumping to the tiny archipelago below the cliff. As the last animal disappeared behind the mountain, their savior released the button. Soundwave, much to her surprise, didn't utter a word, rather continued the trip. She did hear a muffed 'humph' come from the Mercedes, but the tapping on her right shoulder distracted her from listening.

"Thanks," Kierra whispered into her ear. "I thought he was going to kill them the moment before."

Another grumble escaped Soundwave's vocals. The teen got back into her seat while Mikaela glanced at the steering wheel. She sighed in annoyance in her mind. That grave silence was really beginning to get at her.

"Which part of Ibiza are we in now?" she asked, trying to start at least some discussion. "This area looks deserted."

Making that point, the mechanic glanced at the landscape emerging on the horizon as they were going up a hill. No road signs were greeting them along the road. Although the morning sun was rising in the horizon, and Soundwave was using his headlights, the road was impossible to see completely without the streetlamps. No cars but rocks and only rocks had come their way so far. Then she reconsidered her conclusion. They were travelling by an unpaved road that was hard to call a road at all. Maybe the area was not as populated as in the other parts of the island?

"Es Vedrá — an island belonging to the Baleric Islands. This area hasn't been inhabited since the residence of a priest in year 1855. It is well-known as the third most magnetic area on your planet after the North Pole, and the Bermuda Triangle," Soundwave reported.

A disk tray with a golden CD slid out of the dashboard. Kierra gasped in the back seat as a holographic map of a tiny island appeared. Mikaela directed her attention to a yellow cross and a moving red dot. The distance between them didn't seem to be too long, yet a green line that suddenly popped up in the middle made her frown.

"Our position's marked with the red dot while the yellow cross shows the destination. The green line is the bridge that was installed a Quartex, or an Earth month ago," the Mercedes clarified. "Estimated time of arrival: five minutes."

"Yesss! My butt's already tired of sitting here," Kierra cheered, raising her fist in glee.

"You have two routes: walk the remaining distance, or be quiet and let me drive," Soundwave offered. "Choose."

"You don't have to play mean with her all the time," Mikaela commented, looking sidelong dashboard. "We've been driving for quite a while, so that you knew."

"I wasn't talking to you, human," the Con' barked.

_'Decepticons,'_ the girl thought, sinking into the seat.

She closed her eyes. Even the bumpy ride couldn't distract her from her thoughts. The Decepticons, she was always thinking about those robots, and no matter how hard the mechanic had tried, the memory of Nolan and his companion wouldn't pass into the background.

* * *

><p>"Your story of <em>nice<em> Decepticons doesn't sound convincing, Nolan. I've met plenty enough to tell they can't be trusted!" Mikaela claimed, pointing a finger at the guy. "Either they've brainwashed you, or you've gone insane like Dylan Gould!"

Nolan folded his arms. A weak scratch on his right wrist came into view.

"I don't know where you've found out about that guy, since the government keeps that info top secret, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that someone stole all the files from their databases!" he defended, raising his hands in attempt to appear convincing. "Every single teensy fairytale is gone!"

Mikaela placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, why don't you ask your buddy? I bet he knows what his pals are up to," she suggested, tilting her head to the right.

"He's injured, can't you blind bitch, damn, see that?!" Nolan cursed, clenching his teeth.

Now she'd had it. Mikaela raised her palm and slapped the guy in the cheek with full force. Her hand was burning, so was the bright red autograph on her _friend's_ face. Nolan rubbed the mark while still glaring at the mechanic.

"That was. Unnecessary. Nolan," Dead End commented in the background. "You shouldn't. Worry about. Me. Rather about. Learning how to. Communicate with. People. That was a. Wrong move."

The mechanic switched her gaze to the Peugeot, asking, "You know about his fiery temper?"

"Yes and no. I often make guesses," the car answered, blinking his headlights. "And I guess. You have a. Problem of your. Own."

"Oh, and I wonder what it is," Mikaela challenged, folding her arms.

The car stood silent as if he were reading her mind. They kept staring at each other while Nolan was mumbling insults under his breath. She heard him turn the water on and begin washing his face with the cold rain water from the barrel in her garage.

Mikaela cocked her head to the side when a thin rod emerged from under the armor on his driver's door. The stick began swinging back and forth, back and forth, like a needle of a metronome. Until, that is, it stopped in place, pointing at a rucksack by the door into the house.

"Your. Father has gone. Missing. And if that bag. Is a backpack. I believe. You're about. To leave on his search," Dead End analyzed.

The girls's mouth slowly widened. She heard a bang against the barrel. Now both Nolan, wet from head to toe, and she were gawking at the Decepticon. Dead End shuffled his wheels, obviously not appreciating the kind of attention usually devoted to an acrobat swinging on a trapeze. His wing mirrors folded as if they were ears of an startled dog.

"Umm, Mika?" the car's owner called her name. "I... I have an offer."

"Go ahead," the girl said, looking away from the vehicle.

"Dead End and I could, you know, help you out, since our goals are similar. We've got access to the whole database thanks to Allie's best friend. Plus, I'll finally pay you off," Nolan said with an awkward smile. "So, whadda you say? Team?"

* * *

><p><em>'I can't believe I've signed up to this way back then. Not that I regret it, but something about you, Dead End, isn't right. How does he know so much about everyone?'<em> Mikaela thought, covering her mouth with a fist. _'He always knows what I'm up to. He's even read my thought once! Not to mention he began acting funny when Kierra said her name. Speaking of Kierra, I still don't get the point of that vision. Was that really her way back then?'_

"We have arrived."

The girl raised her head. Kierra was already waving at her before the mouth of a cave into the mountain. Grabbing her flashlight and the walkie-talkie, she got out of the car and joined the teen. Surprisingly, no Mini-Cons had come to meet them, though High Wire, Grindor, and Sureshock should have been waiting at the entrance. Mikaela checked the time on her watch.

"Where are those three? They should've come like ten minutes ago," she grumbled, looking at Soundwave. "Can you comm Dead End and ask what's wrong?"

"We've reached the most magnetic area on the mountain. Even my communications systems aren't functioning properly," the Mercedes said, annoyed. "The Autobot Mini-Cons never keep up with the schedule."

"Maybe something's happened on the station?" Kierra posed a version.

"I'm about to happen on their station. They're holding us up!" the 'Con barked, his alt mode shaking with fury.

"Soundwave, hold it!" Mikaela shouted.

But it was too late.

The Mercedes' wheels shrieked as they sunk into the mud. A rain of dirt spatted his doors and the cave walls around him, yet the vehicle didn't quit. He switched gears and added more power to get out. The clay was sticking to his tires, not letting him escape until the Mercedes pushed it to the limit. Kierra and Mikaela jumped out of Soundwave's way as he, like a rocket, sped into the cave, leaving a deep rut behind.

"Soundwave!" the teen shouted after him.

Yet he cared less about her calls. The car turned into one of the passages, and all they heard was the growling of his engine, and the screaming of his wheels. Seconds passed, a minute went by, but they still heard him. Instead of fading, the roars were intensifying as if the Mercedes was returning, or to be honest, skedaddling from a threat; he was snarling like a dog being chased by a catcher. What had only caused him to retreat? Mikaela didn't get a chance to wonder as both Kierra and she took cover behind a rock when Soundwave rocketed out of the cave. Making a wild whirl round a bush, and almost losing control of his alternative mode, he stopped next to the group.

"What was that all about?" Mikaela questioned, coming up to the vehicle.

"We can't... Get... Through there," the Mercedes said, gasping for oxygen. "Many... Pitfall traps... Switches... Snares..."

"Why would they place traps?" Kierra wondered, hiding her hand behind her head.

"Guess the Crack's already here, and they don't want us in," her teammate concluded, biting her knuckle in thought. "We're stuck here for good."

Stuck – such a strong word, one would say, especially when in deep musings. Watching an enemy from a distance coming up with a reasonable plan was something not a person could do every day. The likes of that knight wasn't pleased with Mikaela being around. Gallant crushed a stone in his hand when the girl began whispering something his audio receptors weren't able to receive.

"Well, Mikaela, your father and his fellow Prime friend have managed to escape 'Cronus and my trap. I will get the map of the Requiem Blaster, and in order to stir those two, I will do everything possible," the Mini-Con promised, holding his saber out. "No one has ever escaped our Master's claws."

He sheathed his weapon and jumped down the cliff into the water, disappearing into the foam of the sea.

* * *

><p><strong>How's the group going to enter the mysterious Es Vedrà now with the Crack Team in the way? Will Dead End ever give his secret <strong>****away**? Be ready to face chapters twelve, and thirteen head on!  
><strong>

**Advice, ideas, and all types of reviews are appreciated. I'm no shark to bite, so feel free to express your opinions. ;)**


	12. Chapter 12: Dead but Alive

**Small note: thanks to everyone who keeps reading so far! Here's chapter 12. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

**Dead but Alive**

He tapped on the cage bar, the ringing going around the room like an echo in a hollow cave. Violent boiling in a metal kettle with a low-pitched whistling, some kind of constant tinkling going on and on were coming from every corner of that pitch-black Pit. Starscream tried unpinning the cloth that was covering his cage, yet the hooks fixating the material wouldn't bend just for an inch. He took hold of one peg and pulled it toward himself with added force. The Seeker sharpened his audios. He could have sworn a disturbing beeping was coming from somewhere not too far from the lab. Two people were chatting, or maybe even bickering about something till a female interrupted the speaker's comments.

"Sonar, you sure it's where Gallant keeps all his experiments? Like 100 per cent?"

"That's doubtful. Though being a mad scientist, he doesn't miss any moves," a male voice answered. "If Jetstorm's here though, we're rescuing him pronto."

"But what about the other robots? Aren't we supposed to help them out too?"

"Oh for Cronus' sake, Kierra, do you ever listen to what someone has to say? I've told you our priorities! We save everyone we find on this base, got that?"

"Not really... And who's Cronus?"

"Gah, Cronus's Micronus Prime! Big—"

* * *

><p>And then the memory broke off. Starscream covered his helm, stinging pain going through his data banks like an arrow. He bore his head into his knees, offlining his optics to retrieve the slipping data, but the helmache would worsen with every attempt until he gave up on trying. The mech took a deep vent and punched a panel to his right hard enough to tear though the air duct.<p>

"Why can't I concentrate!?" Starscream snarled, dropping his helm into his knees. "What's going on with my data banks?!"

He seized a nearby screwdriver and hurled it into the air, breaking a lantern up ahead into millions of pieces.

"You're on the brink of going insane if you ask me."

That jolly remark hit a nerve. Growling like a guard dog but only in electrical sounds, Starscream extended his claws to meet Mikaela's human friend on his knees yards away from him. He wanted to tear him apart, to leave nothing from that pest. Being followed around, especially by a human as stubborn as that one, was driving the mech crazy!

"When Dead End told me he was considered ferocious by his peers, I imagined the other Decepticons as cuddly puppies and kitties, not as buzzing, hungry locust," Nolan compared, placing his chin onto the huge lantern before himself, "that keeps hiding in the duct and not letting me ventilate this frigging hothouse."

"I don't care about your needs, human," Starscream snapped, the blades on his servo unfolding. "But I'll make you eat those words!"

"D-Don't do that! You'll—" Nolan said but was cut off in mid-sentence.

Starscream jabbed the knives into the soft metal. Had the mech known that, he would've never done it. A wire snapped right under his knee, tearing a panel open like a tin can. The Seeker yelped when he started falling in through the formation. His claws sunk into the next panel, another crack echoed in the duct. All he saw was Nolan crawling closer to him before the floor gave in under his weight. Like a cat the robot seized the edge of panel, gripping, tearing into the iron for support, and hung without any thought of onlining his optics. Primus, he shouldn't look downwards. Starscream tightened his hold on what had been left of the iron piece. He whimpered, fearful of the whining duct.

"Don't claw that thing unless you wanna' fall!" Nolan shouted from upwards. "Wait, can't you transform into a plane or what alt mode do you have there?"

"I would have already if I could, but enough talking! Get me out of here!" the flier demanded, his optics still offlined.

"I can leave, y'know, unless you stop ordering me around," came an answer.

"What?! You called me a locust and expected me to keep my mouth shut? Never!" Starscream complained, finally caring to see the guy's insolent mug.

His frame froze stiff. The distance between him and the guy, it was humongous. For a moment he remembered the sight of the humans he used to watch from the top of a skyscraper, yet now the mech was the one at the bottom. He could only see Nolan peeping into the hole, trying to fixate a cord to a loose cord. Starscream relaxed his hold on the panel; the Pits were about to end.

But not for a certain team. With all possible attempts made, with hours wasted for nothing, Mikaela had become less eager to solve the puzzle of Es Vedrà unlike at the beginning of their trip.

Standing by the entrance of the base, she watched Soundwave race in and out of the cave like a wolf who was being fired at. For the fifteenth time he'd stopped near the duo, filling the air around the team with thick grey dust. Coughing, they ran out of the dirt cloud to a farther distance. The grime accumulated on the top of the car, yet the Mercedes shook it off by opening and closing his doors several times.

"It's no use trying anymore, guys. Let's face it, we can't get in," Mikaela admitted, hunkering down next to a wall.

She blew her hair out of sight and looked up at the ceiling. Even Soundwave transforming and blocking her view couldn't distract her until said mech shot her a glare that made the girl turn away.

"You've shown such determination and willingness during our entire _excursion_ here, which I've doubted from the very beginning. And now, when a complexity occurs, you concede defeat instantly," the 'Con said, clenching his denta. "This, in comparison to what I've gone through, is child's play, and I'm completing this task, be it with or without you."

"Admit it, you have no idea how to get through yourself," Mikaela emphasized. "Because if you had, we wouldn't be stuck in this bog."

"Give me time, and I will show you that you've mistaken," Soundwave proposed. "I _am _getting through this time."

Mikaela sat into a cross-legged pose and folded her arms.

"Good luck with that," she said with a shrug.

Grumbling something, most-likely about the human's stubbornness, the mech switched to his alternative mode. Mikaela couldn't quite guess why the car didn't move. He just waited there, below the low ceiling of the entrance for something. Confused, the girl approached the vehicle at a slow pace.

"Mikaela, don't!" Kierra shouted from the background.

"Huh? Why?" the mechanic questioned, clueless.

"Smart child," Soundwave admitted. "But you're too late however."

The car hit the gas, but stayed in place, puffing a thick cloud of dust straight into the human's face. Mikaela covered her eyes and hightailed out of the trap yet still felt the dirt streaming down on her back. She heard the Mercedes shift gears and bolt out of the rut.

"You okay?" Kierra asked.

Mikaela wiped the grease from her eyes. For a moment she felt like screaming the 'Con's name so that the entire island would hear her loud and clear. Gnashing her teeth, she glanced at her clothes again. Her tank-top's pink color now looked like a clear reddish brown variant of scorched cardboard; the blue jeans weren't giving that kind of impression they used to thanks to the grey greasy spots.

The prank victim froze all of a sudden. She clenched her fist. Where was the walkie-talkie? The girl's gaze drifted towards the pool of mud. Crushed into shreds, with its antenna sticking out of the bog lay their one-way ticket to the base.

"That... That good-for-nothing, dim-witted arsehole!" the girl screamed in fury, kicking a rock into the wall.

The stone bounced off the obstacle like a rubber ball and now was going straight into the two! Dodging the missile, the girls watched it spring back and fly straight into the floor. Mikaela gasped in awe as the rocky plates began shifting above their heads, revealing a passageway into the caves.

"Umm... I knew there could be hidden doors in walls, but in ceilings?" Kierra said, approaching the gap.

"There can be," Mikaela said, equally surprised," but how do we get there? "

"I have something that might be useful."

She averted her gaze to the teen who was taking a weapon out of her backpack. The girl couldn't help but stare as Kierra took a grappling hook gun and winked at her.

* * *

><p>"Where'd you get that from?"<p>

Starscream approached the bridge's display as he'd posed that question. Nolan was skipping through huge texts in Cybetronian that could rival the long-lasting Autobot-Decepticon war history if judged by length.

Complicated formulas of Dark En were rowing down after the short introduction, and each of them had an accurate explanation, the requirements in temperature, both maximum and minimum; the needed equipment, which was reflected as a list that could be compared to that of the first chapter of the Covenant of Primus; last but not least were the author notes that the Seeker found the most intriguing. The writer was none other than the famed scientist of the Dynasty of Primes, Quintus Prime.

"Dead End borrowed that from someone, but he won't tell me who that was. Kinda complicated formulas if you ask me," Nolan admitted, scrolling further down.

"You understand Cybertronian?" the mech questioned, not hiding the awe in his voice.

"Yeah, I have to," the guy answered with a nod. "Dead lends me a hand sometimes, or servo, as you guys say, yet he's been busy lately, so yeah, I'm trying to figure this out on my own."

Starscream tilted his head to the right, showing skepticism which the guy clearly noticed. A human with the knowledge of Neocybex sounded disturbing already. The Seeker said nothing more to Nolan, rather watched him typing something in his laptop that was connected to the Bridge's main computer.

_'He's never been as resourceful as now. Dead End's always been an enigma to even the likes of Soundwave, but he didn't play a huge role in that fool Megatron's plans, so no one ever paid any heed if he were around or not,'_ Starscream thought, ignoring his surroundings. _'I do not recall him having any acquaintances though. Every member of the crew avoided him...'_

The Seeker shuddered at that memory.

_'Due to his overly specific lines and hunger for mech fluid...' _he added. _'Hmm... I can't believe Dark Energon can return a mech's or a femme's mental state back to normal. He used to be a restless windbag, as well as a pessimistic windbag. Have the effects subsided after three millennia?'_

Starscream dug his claws into the bars with the urge of saying his decision loud and clear, _'I'm not waiting that long!'_

"Hey, mind translating this part? I don't get a thing that's being said here."

The human selected an extract for the mech. Starscream focused his optic sensors; the language was a bit old, maybe on three or four vorns than modern Cybertronian, yet the idea itself seemed to be quite obvious. Without paying any heed to the human gawking at him, the mech began reading quietly to himself.

_Experiment number DE75. Data of issue: two lightyears after the birth of Prima.  
>Test subject: Dark Energon (Dark En), Synthetic Dark Energon (Synth En), two offline Predacons (Pred One and Pred Two).<em>

All right, now he was completely sure of it; Dead End and his squishy partner had hit the jackpot, but he would never admit that aloud. That experiment showed its price to the mech even though he hadn't read through the report yet. If he found out the results quick enough, maybe the Seeker could find a cure for himself. Thing was, that it really _was_ maybe.

Clearing his mind from those thoughts, Starscream returned to his primary task.

_Test results: goal: find answer for the question: Dark Energon — new source of life, or poison for the creations of Primus?  
>Observations:<br>Solar Cycle One  
>1) Pred(One): fueled with Dark En and left in cage. Came online in a nano-click. Very aggressive and active. Armor formation has changed into a Terrocon. Proof to the said above: purple optic sensors — main sign, high-pitched shrieks, slowly but repairing wounds. Most important: hunger for Energon.<br>2) Pred(Two): fueled with Synth En. No effect. _

_Solar Cycle Two:  
>1) Pred(One): changes: none.<br>2) Pred(Two): changes: none._

The reader skipped through the other four days, since the report kept showing the same results. The "changes: none" was coming up on the third day, on the fourth day even on the seventh day, much to his annoyance. Waving to the guy to scroll further down to the tenth Solar Cycle, Starscream paused. That report had earned his greatest interest.

_Solar Cycle Ten:  
>1)Pred(One): energy loss. Not as active as earlier. Optic sensors dimming. Systems warning of stasis lock.<br>2)Pred(Two): onlined. Systems showing as offline._

The Seeker paused for a second. That quote reminded him of the encounter with Barricade in the forest. His sensors showed that mech as offline as well despite the fact he was now roaming around the base, hiding out of everyone's sight. The scene in the morning was screaming that fact no less. Starscream got distracted for a moment when he imagined the police car on a run with the girl. The Seeker mentally facepalmed himself; placing the transistor and the key into the car wasn't the brightest idea after all. He had already forgotten why he'd done that.

Starscream cursed under his breath and tried not to fly off into his musings for the third time in a row. Reading further through the reports, he found the final day that consisted of a tiny block of glyphs.

_Solar Cycle 31:  
>1)Pred(One): offline. No movement. Systems show as offline.<br>2)Pred(Two): online. Systems show as offline. Lively, peaceful, domesticated — signs of new personality. Form difference: none. Hunger for Energon: minimal.  
>Conclusion:<br>Synth Energon can be used as a source to revive dimmed sparks..._

Then the text broke off. A wave of disappointment that he couldn't shadow took over him. Starscream dropped his helm into his folded servos. It seemed so close yet no, he was too far from getting answers.

"Heh, and I thought you'd figure it out on your own."

He had the usual feeling of humiliation after having been hit by Megatron's iron fist straight into the face plating. The guy's tease sounded irrelevant until he replayed it again. Nolan's previous words rang the bells in his logic circuitry. They shouldn't have, since Starscream was already doing his best not to tear the liar's head off for the trick.

"Why... have you made me read the nonsense that you've already translated? Is this a prank?" the Seeker asked, his servos shaking with rage. "I've wasted precious nano-seconds examining this stupidity!"

"Open your eyes! This _stupidity_ has a meaning, which you saw since you looked oh so intrigued," the guy said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Don't blow a fuse, Starscream, but I'm actually telling the obvious. You want to get Gallant, and The Colonel so much that nothing else matters. You avoid everyone around yourself and even attack them without a reason! Well, let me let on a secret: it doesn't work that way!"

Nolan closed the laptop while still keeping his attention on the mech. He continued the argument in a quieter voice, "And let's not talk about particular people here, but about you. The Troyan's still dominating, and you're damn too blind to see that!"

As if following the guy's suggestion, the mech answered in a lowered tone, "I've told you this before, human, I do not care about your needs, neither should you care about mine. And if you're referring to the incident before our heated debate, the explanation is one: the girl simply invaded my personal space and earned what she rightly deserved."

Nolan didn't react to that remark. He took the drive out of the laptop and pointed it at the mech, adding, "Deserved, eh? That really makes me wonder why you saved her butt later if you hate her that much."

Starscream was getting irritated by the human nosing around. Being untrusted didn't play a major role in his unfinished book of deceit, yet Nolan had become one of the numerous plot bunnies that kept forcing him overlook the already complicated plot twists.

"Might I ask why should I be reporting anything to you in the first place, insect?" the mech raised a question, striking a confident pose. "I'm _not_ your troop, messenger, or subordinate, bear that in mind."

"Maybe you're right, but you _are _on my team's ship so that you knew."

"Your ship? Ha, I was the Decepticon Second-In-Command, and now am the new leader of this faction! The Harbinger belongs to me, the new Lord of the Decepticons!" came a smart comeback from the 'Con. "With that fool Megatron gone, Cybertron will be mine to rule after it will be restored!"

"For your information, Cybertron's as alive as the Dead Universe."

* * *

><p>Kierra gave Mikaela a look of worry when two male voices echoed in the cave. They crouched behind a rubble, away from the guards' optics. Two Mini-Cons, a black one, and a white came near their hiding spot. The mechanic shut her ally's mouth as the teen was about to give them away. The duo looked around and, shrugging, returned to their positions.<p>

"And I'm telling you, Rook, neither the Autobots nor the Decepticons have gotten over it. Some even don't know about it," said one of the pair. "Imagine their optics if you tell them Cybertron's... gone. Scrap, they'd try to crush you like a SpiderBot."

"What was that all about?" Mikaela complained, putting her hand away. "We could've been caught!"

"Those were the guys that caught Starscream and I! The black 'Con's Rook while the other one's Crosswise," Kierra explained, almost shouting before the mechanic shushed her. "Sorry... Any ideas how to get through?"

"No, honestly none," her companion admitted, looking down at her knees. "Huh?"

She took her badge out of the pocket of her jeans. The claw was pulsating in her hands and radiating an immense warm aura. Both girls gasped when the item rose and began spinning in place like a compass needle gone wild. Then the badge stopped, one of its claws extended and began pointing into a cave to their right. The teammates exchanged looks but didn't have time for discussions since their guide was already near reaching its chosen road.

Standing up slowly, not to be noticed by the guards, they followed the badge, yet it increased its speed with every made step. Was it sensing their presence? The curiosity's owner didn't really care. All that she wanted was having it in her hand, not somebody else's.

"I'm not losing you too," Mikaela promised, dashing off in pursuit.

"Hey, wait for me!" Kierra shouted.

No she'd done it.

Like a storm Crosswise hustled to their position and gave the alarm, yelling at the top of his vocals, "Intruders in sector K! Repeat: intruders in sector K!"

The claw was speeding up, so were the girls. Mikaela looked behind: Rook, and Crosswise were reaching them with an army of Ravage drones sprinting ahead. Gasping for air, the duo tried their best to catch up with their target which was adding more speed every time they would get close.

_'I'm not losing you too.'_

"No, I'm definitely not," Mikaela said to herself.

She gnashed her teeth. She had to run faster, but her feet were hurting as much as her left side. Mikaela clenched her fist where she usually held the claw and forced herself to run faster. She looked forward; the badge, it was dropping speed. Just a little more, just a short distance to reach the prize. The pursuer extended her hand in attempt to catch it.

The Mini-Cons were getting at the drones, firing into the air to threaten the hounds. Their dogs were snarling, bearing saber teeth, as the battalion was catching up with the twosome. Mikaela wasn't thinking straight at that moment. She didn't notice when but now she found herself jumping forward to catch the floating scrap.

Her heart stopped; she'd done it, she had the claw, but something was wrong, terribly wrong. The girl didn't feel the ground under her feet. Grief and horror won over her triumph when she looked down. Jesus, she couldn't believe her eyes. She was falling into a pit so dark nothing could be seen at the bottom.

"Mikaela, hold on!" Kierra yelled from the above.

The teen jumped after her while the pursuers stayed at the edge, screaming and shouting, celebrating their victory. Mikaela pressed the claw against her chest and closed her eyes. She tried not to listen to that wolf howling but her ears weren't audio receptors that could be turned off, so the girl still heard them and tightened her grip on the still hot badge.

_'We've lost... I can't believe we got nothing from all this snooping around,'_ she thought, opening her eyes_, 'And now it's all ending this way.'_

"Use the claw's spear mode, Mikaela!" Kierra suggested, waking her up from her thoughts. "We can't give up yet! Your father's depending on you! The guys are depending on us too!"

"Spear mode?" Mikaela questioned, looking up at the girl.

Then came the answer to her question. The badge stretched, it grew another thorn on the side where the keychain was. The spike and the middle nail extended, creating a three-meter-long spear that was now scratching against the cave walls. Mikaela squealed in fear as the stick got stuck between two rocks. Her partner grabbed hold of the pole and, spinning around like a gymnast, let go of the spear, landing square on her feet.

"That's spear mode," the teen guided. "Say claw mode, and it'll turn back."

Mikaela cocked a brow and did as her companion suggested. Indeed, the thorns were retracted. The girl landed next to Kierra with the badge in her hand.

"You learned this from Sonar, didn't you?" the claw's owner guessed.

Kierra didn't seem all that astonished by her statement. She even smiled the mechanic, twiddling her thumbs.

"And you saw a vision from Jetstorm's claw or something like that, right?"

Mikaela crossed her hands, approving, "Yes, but I don't get the point in hiding it. If you'd told us what you knew, we wouldn't be stuck on this island."

"We would be, 'cause I don't know that much. I only know a bit more than you do," Kierra confessed, lowering her head. "You see, Sonar wasn't the kind of Mini-Con to know everything, neither was Jetstorm. Runway knew who was planning all of this, but Starscream said he found him dead on the Micron Starship."

"What do you know then?" Mikaela questioned while thinking, _'Doesn't look like she's lying, but then again...'_

"I know that whoever's after this, it's someone whom Amalgamous Prime knew. Sonar told me that the Shifters are only here to find a trapped Prime, and they need the same gun the Crack Team's searching for," Kierra revealed. "But as for the Crack, I only know that they're hunting lost Transformers down for their Sparks Chambers. Well, at least that's what 'Scream told me."

_'Starscream told you? I thought he wasn't the kind of 'Con to let info slip out of his mouth... Hmm...' _Mikaela mused, averting her gaze from the girl.

She made a step forward to a crack in the wall. The girl rubbed the grey ore and knocked on it. No matter how convincing it looked, the panel was giving itself away with the smell of fresh glue. However, the green light shining from beneath the fake wall was feeding her curiosity even more. Mikaela got to her knees and peeped through the chink.

"Oh... My... God," she said slowly, coming closer to the gap.

"You found something?" Kierra asked, running up to her teammate.

"Sneak a peek but keep quiet," came an answer.

They'd lost that base; it was all too obvious. Behind the wall that was hiding their presence resided a legion consisting of thirty robotic beasts very similar to Ravage yet so different. They were shining in that poisonous purple color, giving them away as Decepticons. However, the dragon tattoos with dents, similar to the one on Gallant's shoulder, were representing them as a totally alien faction. The animals themselves had dual axes on their tails; long blades, very closely related to that of a Siberian Tiger's claws, and the most eye-catching — the diamond-shaped yellow spikes on their back, and saber teeth that were forcing Mikaela back away from the crack.

In the middle of the platform above the monsters awaited Gallant with a leaf green Mini-Con twice as tall as him. He had the beetle horns similar to Amalgamous Prime's, but the emerald orb in the center of his chest served as the main difference. A pair of spikes aimed at the floor were shielding it from any sort of damage. No matter who he was, something was very familiar about that mech. Then Mikaela remembered him. Those green glasses on his forehead, both he and the guy from the library had the same ones!

"I gladly announce to you, my dearest Terrocons, that your patience shall be finally rewarded. After a cyber-week of suspense I open a new hunt, but this time, it's far more promising than before!" the green Mini-Con announced as if he were on an auction. "The offers of our mightiest Liege are the following!"

The monsters turned their heads to the right. Mikaela tried doing the same, yet she couldn't see the screen they were staring at. Kierra cursed under her breath and took her phone out. She turned the recorder on and placed it near the gap.

"Demolish their base located near the town of Tranquility and the cities of Boston, Columbus, Las Vegas, and New Orleans. Bring the prisoners in and earn your reward. Be aware, however, they have allies among higher peers that could interfere with our affairs," the officer continued, raising his fist into the air. "Mistakes are not forgiven! Make one and be neutralized by our Liege like a foolish human was just recently!"

_'Was it me, or did Gallant shake?'_ Mikaela wondered, staring at the knight. _'Wait, did he mean the Colonel?'_

Suddenly, she felt a gaze fall onto her back. Slowly, the mechanic turned around only to see a familiar Mercedes drive up to the duo. For a moment the girl felt like kicking the car. She still couldn't forget the grudge.

"We must leave this island. I have placed the bomb in the Energon reserves. We have thirty cycles to escape," Soundwave whispered, opening the doors. "Climb in."

"Wait, but how are we going to get out with all the guards here?" Kierra reminded, running up to the car.

"I have planned every step, human. Now get in while I haven't changed my mind," the mech said in a gruff voice.

The girls got into the car without haste. Soundwave switched gears and hit backwards with a loud whistle that echoed throughout the cave. The beasts in the room behind began growling, screaming and snarling, sensing the trio's presence. Sirens went off in the cave; a pack of hounds emerged from another tunnel and dashed after the duo. Mikaela grabbed her claw and, activating the arrows, began shooting the drones one by one, tripping a pair of Mini-Cons far behind.

"Be prepared to warp," Soundwave suddenly announced, catching the mechanic by surprise.

Mikaela stuck her hand back into the car and checked the Mercedes' dashboard. Odd letters were blinking in the radio's screen. Then three white hieroglyphs appeared and began flashing as well but in black and white until a grey light sparkled in the rear-view mirror. The car drove into a portal that closed up on the hounds as Soundwave dashed in.

"Phew, that was close," Mikaela said, leaning against the glove box. "Thanks, Soundwave."

The driver answered with a growl of his engine which was muffed by the cracking electricity in the tunnel. Soundwave drove out of the gate and reached a cliff of a mountain. Mikaela and Kierra looked back only to see a light enveloping Es Vedrà till its foot. The island was now like a shadow of a pyramid in the sands of Sahara, only it was shattering similar to a sand castle being crushed under someone's heel. Rocks were crashing down from the peak, creating barricades that were now blocking the entrances to the caves; the Crack's beasts that looked like lizards in the light were saving their tail by jumping off the cliffs into the sea and swimming to the nearest islands. Mikaela felt her friend patting her shoulder in attempt to gain attention.

"Look! It's the Crack!" Kierra exclaimed, pointing at a grey helicopter above the mountain.

The aircraft had the same though hardly visible from the distance dragon mark on its side. Mikaela took a pair of binoculars from Soundwave's glove compartment and tried giving it a closer look. The mechanic bit her lip; her target had vanished as quickly as it appeared. They weren't about to give up that easily. All her team had to do now was wait.

* * *

><p><strong>Who are the Crack Team's new targets? What has Nolan and Starscream's <em>tiny<em> argument ended with? Coming up next in chapter 12: The Shifter Black Market!**

**Reviews, suggestions, and error notes are more than appreciated.**


	13. Chapter 13: The Shifter Black Market

**Chapter 13**

**The Shifter Black Market**

The rain was spatting against the windshield, water streaming down the glass, blocking the view of the road. Barricade's wiper blades were moving to the left, to the right, yet the highway still seemed as a single endless blurred line. Dualor gasped in the backseat as a thunderbolt shot into a skyscraper nearby. The storm clouds around it lit up yet again, and another lightning assaulted the antennas, sending sparks of electricity into the air like fireworks.

"Kierra, you sure he said Boston?" Nolan asked, turning to the teen. "Neither Barricade's nor my scanners pick any Cybertronian signals. Hmm... Could they be masking them?"

"If you human consider that our race is at the top of the International Wanted List, it is very likely that we're wasting time trying to save Autoscum," Barricade snarled, his cop holoform losing its accuracy. "We could rather be digging Gallant and the others out of their graves. I have a score to settle with that fragger."

"Be patient, Barricade. Everyone amongst us, I believe, has a titanium bone to pick with the Crack Team, you and Starscream respectively," Dualor pointed out while still eyeing the thunderstorm outside. "But if we keep returning to older details, their leader will get ahead of us on four steps."

"Why on four?" Kierra questioned, scratching her head. "Why not two?"

"Because we know neither how they manipulate other 'Bots and 'Cons with Dark En, nor why they hunt Transformers down for their Spark chambers in particular, or how to get rid of the Troyan Starscream and Barricade are infected with. Plus, let's not forget the reason why the Crack needs that Combiner gun," Nolan explained. "And I still got the feeling like we're missing something."

"Nonsense! I'm perfectly fine without your _services_!" Barricade barked.

His police officer hologram vanished; the radio screen went offline but then a short message replaced the black screen.

_Sport Mode activated_

Growling like a racecar, the Saleen darted to the second lane and made a double overtake from the left, passing first a cargo van and then a jeep. The drivers were showing their fists to the police car, one of them even shouting all curses he could come with. Barricade seemingly cared less, as he was now tailgating a Toyota Auris' up ahead. He rammed it once, beeped to the driver trice, yet only his harsh growl proved enough to force the small vehicle switch lanes.

Nolan looked out of the window to see the woman's ghostly white face. He gulped; the Saleen was speeding up. He checked the speedometer: the car had reached the speed of 50 mph and was building up second by second. The guy leaned closer to the steering wheel in attempt to stop the car, yet it wouldn't budge! Barricade blocked it!

"'Cade, enough! You're driving us straight to the other world!" Nolan barked, doing his best to spin the wheel to the right.

As if he were deaf, Barricade provided the human with no answer. Nolan released the controls when the car made a sharp turn to overtake a truck before them. The guy gritted his teeth; the right wing mirror collided with the Ford's front door and was making a horrible whistling sound of a breaking high speed train. Everyone covered their ears not to hear that painful howl until the driver's own low-frequency basses boomed through the speakers.

Impatient, the Saleen cut the vehicle off and added more speed, already reaching the 55 mph mark. Three other victims soon met the headlights of the speedster. They scattered to the farthest lanes and freed the road, giving quick beeps to the racer.

Nolan noticed sparkling red and blue lights in the rear-view mirror. Three police cars were hot on their tail, forcing the citizens to let them pass. For a moment he heard Barricade huff something in Cybetronian. Shivers went down his spine as the 'Con hit his maximum, 60 mph. In addition, something had just shifted under the car's boot yet the human had no time to check.

His engine screaming, his speedometer going wild like a broken compass, Barricade charged into a separate tunnel like a supersonic jet that was knocking everything on its way. The cars before them scattered to the right lane similar to a horrified pack of dogs. The cars themselves were passing by them as unclear and unrecognizable forms. Nolan looked back again; the police had blended in with the blurs, their light beacons the only ones visible in the tunnel.

Nolan bore his hands into his hair. His head was hurting from all the speed. Rubbing his temples, he tried to get back into the race, but the belt pressing him against the seat was impossible to fight against. He heard someone, most likely a local cop, announce something through a horn speaker in the tunnel.

_'What's with these 'Cons? Why don't Soundwave and Dead End act this way? Grr, I can't handle the other two, especially Starscream and his yesterday's performance!'_ Nolan thought, grabbing hold of the seat. _'Shit, I have to do __**something**__! But what? Damn, damn, damn!'_

He felt Kierra digging her hands into the seat, grappling his sportif jacket.

"Quit it, Barricade!" the girl screamed, kicking the seat in front.

Barricade mumbled some nonsense through the speakers. The speedometer's needle began functioning again, and the speed was now dropping to 85 mph, then to 80 mph, 70 and pretty soon reached 45 mph - the limit in the tunnel. Nolan dropped onto the dashboard in relief, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"Attention! Come out of the car with your hands raised!"

The guy jolted up as he heard the warning. Five police cars were surrounding the exit, with the cops themselves aiming guns at the Saleen. One of the men was still shouting through a speaker yet Nolan didn't listen.

"Dualor, transform into Beast Mode and pretend to be a sculpture. Kierra, you act as a deaf-mute girl, and you, _Barricade_," the guy paused, spitting venom in anger, "try not to go get us into more trouble."

While saying that, he thought, _'Guess I'll have to phone Allie. Inspector Hook will have to help me with this one... again... Mikaela's going to be steamed.'_

Maybe not at that moment, since the girl didn't pick the call up as Nolan tried phoning her. She had another mission on her hands, the one in the largest city in the Nevada state - Las Vegas. Only driving through the city was taking her breath away. Those gigantic casinos rowing up on both sides of the street, their structures being lit up in royal rainbow colors; those luxurious cars of Bugatti, Ferrari, Infinity, and Lamborghini parked next to the largest game hotels — all of them were making the girl's head turn right round just to see all of the city. That was, of course, till Dead End drove onto a bridge the bars of which were blocking the view.

"When we're finished with the Crack and find my father, I plan on coming back here to sightsee," Mikaela noted for herself, pretending to turn the wheel. "The annual auto show would be fun to watch. We can participate too. Whadda you say?"

"Make a proposal to. Soundwave. I'd rather. Stay in. Tranquility," Dead End answered. "This city. Drains my. Energy levels."

"Oh please, you don't have to be so shy. The cars there don't fight," the mechanic teased, crossing her arms behind her head.

Dead End hit the brakes. Mikaela rubbed her neck where now the seatbelt had just planted a clear red line.

"My anxiousness isn't. THE. Topic you should-s. Worry about-z," the Peugeot hissed, whirling his wheels. "The discussion. Has reached its end."

Gently, he entered the stream of cars again without any additional moves that Mikaela was expecting to witness. After a few moments the girl had taken the driving into her hands yet less eagerly than before. The navigation systems were telling the driver to make a right. Dead End, unlikely, took a left without warning, making Mikaela wonder out loud, "Why there?"

"The road's. Closed," came a neutral answer.

The silent treatment continued up till the end of the bridge, where they reached the northern part of the city. They soon left the center and entered its outskirts. According to the navigator, they had a mile left until the destination coming into view.

"Forgive me. Mikaela... I didn't. Intend to. Lash out. On you," the mech apologized. "Do not take it. Close to heart."

"Not a problem, Dead End. I won't bother reminding that again," the girl acknowledged, stroking the leather wheel. _'There's no point in persuading Soundwave. His Decepticon pride would never let him participate. Ugh, who else would agree? Barricade? No way, a police car as old as him would get the wooden medal... If he would pass into the finals though.'_

"I do have to. Keep my word. Though you haven't proven. My theory. Sadly. I will fulfill my part. Of the deal," the Peugeot promised. "The place. We are about. To reach has. Connection to both. The past and the future."

"What is that... place?" the mechanic asked, frowning. "Don't tell me it's a graveyard."

Mikaela couldn't believe her ears. The mech was actually laughing, not snickering or chuckling, as he usually did, but cackling hysterically, though for an odd, in the human's opinion, reason. Either she'd said something utterly ridiculous or the 'Con was really going nuts. On the other hand, his shaky from the accent yet honest laughter was forcing a smile from her lips.

"Okay, what have I missed?" Mikaela asked with a hint of amusement.

Calming himself, he answered through a snicker, "No. A graveyard doesn't. Make part of. Our. Tour. This place is the. Black market."

The Peugeot made a right and ended up in parking lot before a wall of a factory. Thing was, how could that building be a market? The roof sunk into the building, bricks were gathered into piles of the girl's height in the lot. Mikaela pretty soon changed her outlook as the display on the dashboard began to flicker. The girl felt a lump in her throat when the most unforgettable personal emerged on the screen.

_Leo Spitz_

"Welcome to— Wh-Wha-a-a? Mikaela?! What are YOU doing here?!" Leo exclaimed, his eyes growing the size of two full moons.

"We do not complete any surveys, accept any salesmen. The market is closed. Good day," a male voice sounded in the background.

"We're not here. For trade and exchange. Swindle. We have a personal. Matter to solve," Dead End said, driving closer to the wall. "Either you. Let me in. Or I will. Have to penetrate your. Weak force field. With my Energon prods."

"No, no, no, Dead End, that is definitely unnecessary, trust me! Let us solve this issue diplomatically!" Swindle suggested, panicking as if the car was aiming his blaster at the mech. "I'll drop the barrier for you to enter but be quick. There's a huge chance of getting caught by the locals."

The building's shape began to change as soon as the transmission ended. Two steam pipes were now rowing up on the opposite side of the factory. A barbed wire fence was surrounding the perimeter with cameras fixed on the top of every fourth lamp post out of sixteen in each corner of the barrier.

The gate before them opened automatically, letting the duo in. Dead End drove rather slowly, as if being for the first time on the factory, towards the crashed garage door. Leo was waving at the car till the Peugeot entered the building. A sparkle of light caught Mikaela's eye. The dented entrance was now replaced by a white force field that served as the new door.

"Mikaela," Dead End called, distracting the girl from the field. "Whatever you. Might come up with. During our. Interrogation. Please let me. Handle this. On my own. Swindle may act as a simpleton. Yet he is a very. Cunning. And unpredictable. Con artist."

"All right, just don't forget mentioning my _treasure_," the mechanic reminded, unfastening the seatbelt.

Mikaela got out of the car and headed straight towards Leo who was smiling at her somewhat awkwardly, or maybe even with hints of trying to hide something. The guy wasn't the object of her curiosity though. As soon as she heard loud thumps come from afar, and Dead End shifting to his real form, the girl averted her gaze to the two mechs behind the human's back.

She had never quite imagined to see Decepticons without any additional camouflage to their alt mode. Swindle represented one of them with his coloration closely related to the terrain of a typical desert. The rotor blades on his back reminded her of the 'Con named Grindor while the sparkling red visor clearly represented Soundwave's in his first form that the Officer boasted with the other day. Swindle's grin was certainly living up to Dead End's description. That smile was most likely hiding more that the 'Con showed in public. Then again, his name was Swindle after all.

"Well, Dead End, it's been a long time since we met on Cybertron, hasn't it?" the yellow mech greeted, extending a servo for his fellow 'Con to shake.

Dead End, much to his partner's expectations, declined the greeting with a silent treatment.

"Aw, I forgot, you're not used to formalities. Very well, let's get straight down to business, since that is what you've come all the way here for," Swindle said, lowering his servo. "Which of my merchandise are you intrigued by? The X12 Scrapmaker? The Energon Battle Pistol? Oh, the Magma Frag Launcher's the best there is! It has the accuracy of a sniper rifle, and the power that can rival Lord Megatron's mightiest Fusion Cannon!"

Swindle pointed his finger at the client, striking a pose reminding Mikaela of the famous Uncle Sam poster. The seller winked at the 'Con and made step closer to meet his optics.

"Imagine Soundwave's optics when you show him that baby. He would fear you, would never ever treat you like an ordinary soldier in the army! Think about it, Dead End! All the Decepticons would be at your mercy!"

"I'm not interested in. Guns. Swindle," Dead End said, pushing him out of the way. "Or any of the. Legal and illegal. Weaponry. You sell."

The Decepticon's smirk vanished from his faceplates. Dead End made a step forward; Swindle held back. The red mech took another turn; the seller's helicopter blades began to tremble. Then, a cunning smirk formed on the seller's glossa.

"I thought you were sent by _him_, Dead End. How surprising that you got away from his grasp," Swindle said with a snicker. "But I'm returning you and earning double for catching a fugitive! Amalgamous will be more than pleased!"

"I will imagine Soundwave... Turning you into scrap!" Dead End snarled, drawing his blaster. "You'll pay for this, TRAITOR!"

He fired at the dealer, missing hard and hitting a panel behind his back. Swindle snickered at the miserable attempt only to be hit by a falling bar. The cheat staggered to the left but held his ground, yet he shouldn't have; Dead End charged head on into the mech, pressing him against the wall, and jabbed his claws into the other's servo. Cable by cable, shard by shard he tore out of the limb and grasped the cannon of the enemy. Swindle snarled, gnawed at the 'Con, tried kicking him away but every time he did that, Dead End would cut in deeper into the cabling.

Mikaela stepped back as the con artist's blaster lit up. A loud shriek echoed in the field, signaling the weapon's overload. Dead End made an attempt to release his enemy's servo yet his claws got tangled in the cords. The humans took the nearest cover right before the gun exploded. Dozens of razor-sharp shards and bolts showered down onto the floor with shrill ringing. Mikaela and Leo peeped from under the table, hiding again as Swindle got to his pedes.

The 'Con was rubbing what had left of his servo, hissing in pain when a thumb fell off with minor resistance. He stuck the hanging cables into the armor, gnashing his denta in fury. Dead End, unlike the cheat, had vanished out of sight.

"You... You destroyed my Scatter Blaster. This is going to cost you your Spark, you poor excuse of a Decepticon!" Swindle growled, drawing a different gun. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

"I used to. Respect you. Swindle. Your cunning. Strategies were. Impressive. Until you sold me. And Soundwave to the. Shifters. And Starscream. And Thundercracker to. The Crack Team," Dead End's voice echoed throughout the factory. "They eliminated. Chase Remington and Jayson Phillips in Tranquility. Dylan Gould was killed by. Sam Witwicky. Several months ago. Colonel Bogdanski was wiped out. When their leader. Found out about his betrayal. Only your friend. Leo Spitz is left. From the original. Shifter Black Market."

"What are you talking about?" Swindle asked, withdrawing his weapon. "I work for myself! The Shifters are my clients! Besides, I thought all of you were offline! Where else would your useless frames be needed?"

"You're lying to. Yourself. With no one. Buying your. Arsenal. You started trading. Found in. Chicago. Frames to the Shifters and the Crack Team. For Energon. And money," the red mech continued. "You may. Pretend you do not. Recall it. But I remember. How you sold me. To Makeshift. For a consignment of refined Energon. You also called me. A mech. Hungry for Transformer vitals and circuits."

"But that was the truth!" Swindle blurted out, covering his mouth.

He was steaming, stomping the ground, leaving dents and holes in the floor. Gritting his teeth, the 'Con challenged, "Defeat me in battle, and I'll prove it to you! I will find your hiding spot!"

"Was I. HIDING?"

Swindle detached one of his rotor blades and raised it above his helm, blocking Dead End's claw attack. The ex-Con jumped aside and tossed a smokeball in that exploded into a dust cloud covering the entire base.

Mikaela shielded her mouth with her shirt from the dirt and took cover under the same table from before. She heard how two blades clashed, how Dead End grunted and snarled at the cheat while Swindle himself kept silent, his blades being the only ones to give him away with all the whining. The mechanic gasped when her partner was tossed out of the smokescreen into a pile of scrap in the corner. His optics were still flickering, yet the mech didn't rise to his pedes. He raised his gun to strike back but dropped it with a low grunt.

"Swindle, stop! He's had enough!" Leo suddenly shouted, crawling out of his hideout.

"You're wrong, partner. He's still functional... But not for long!" came a hysterical answer.

Helicopter blades were starting to spin, blending in with the ex-'Con's maniacal snickering. A sand storm kicked up, forcing Mikaela to cover her head to block the lashing wind. Leo's shouts made the girl want to see what was happening. Her mouth was now gaping wide when Swindle opened heavy fire on the scrap heap, hitting the red 'Con with everything he had: bullets of different calibers, and lasers from the twin cannons on his sides. Shells were streaming from his blasters like sand that kept going and going, not meeting its end any time soon. Dead End was giving in to the flier; he didn't strike back or dash away from the attack.

Mikaela clenched her teeth. She took her claw out and called upon for the crossbow. The claw bid her wish and transformed into the weapon, already selecting the helicopter as the target.

"Stay out of this, Mikaela," Dead End's voice sounded through the claw.

The human dropped the crossbow out of shock. She watched it transform back into a badge yet the screen kept flickering as if the comm hadn't been turned off yet.

Clumsily, Dead End was getting up to his pedes. His left servo formed a weapon the human hardly could call a blaster anymore. It had four shots, one of which was already warming up. Then, the 'Con fired a missile at the helicopter but missed hard. The rocket headed upwards towards the roof, knocking all the rebar and construction pipes down with a single shot. Swindle was laughing at the miserable attempt and doubled the firepower until a construction tube crashed onto his rotors.

"Why you—" he growled before being interrupted by another bar.

The pipes kept falling one after another, covering the aircraft till only his windshield could be seen. Swindle began whining like a human child; the trap wouldn't even move an inch. Leo rushed to his partner's aid, calling his name to get the 'Con to reply. Mikaela hustled to her staggering driver who was balancing on his right ped as if being pulled in two different directions.

"I'm in. Neutral. C-Condition. D-Do not worry," Dead End said in a shaky voice.

"You sure? I _can_ comm Soundwave to pick us up," Mikaela offered.

"No. That's unnecessary. My equilibrium chip. Suffered minor. Damage. But it's still. In operational condition."

Dead End shook his helm and approached the trash pile at a steady, still a bit shaky pace. Leo was trying to remove the bars but it was to no avail. The guy moved out of the mech's way. Even though the chopper stayed mute, Mikaela could feel the 'Con's fear building up from afar.

"Listen, Swindle. I know. How you want us. To leave. We will if. You trade me the information. I need," Dead End offered, grasping on of the bars. "Do you. Care to. Listen to our. Request?"

"Add a new clause of the trade: you dig me out of this scrap heap," the trader pleaded. "And I tell you everything I know."

"Deal, but you. Speak up first," the mech said.

"Ugh, fine, I admit, I have been selling frames since the Fallen's defeat. Amalgamous Prime placed bids on neutralized Shifter frames, Soundwave and you, and then Makeshift arrived and took the frames in exchange for Energon. Then Gallant Crimson came," Swindle retold. "He placed bids a lot higher but on Decepticon and Autobot frames. I had only two: Wheeljack's, the Autobot scientist's and Barricade's. Gallant promised me a billion dollars for the Seekers."

"And you went to. Retrieve them," Dead End guessed, his servo transforming into the blaster again. "Only one correction. Gallant Crimson was. Captured by the Shifters. And released after you sold the. Seekers."

The mech placed his cannon onto the helicopter's windscreen, menacing, "Tell me who it. Was, or I will. Execute you. Before the Crack Team does."

"W-What?! They would never eliminate me!" Swindle claimed, twisting his blades under the pile.

"They have gathered. Enough Spark Chambers to create. A legion of Terrorcons. And those hungry. Zombies, as humans call them, want. Yours as well," Dead End said, lowering his gun. "Who was it. Swindle?"

"Micronus Prime. He also calls himself 'Cronus or 'Cron... He appeared right after The Fallen's defeat. I don't know anything about who he is or what he wants," the seller revealed, nervous. "Anything else...?"

"Yes. Does the name Colin Banes. Have a meaning. to you?"

Mikaela froze at that sentence.

_'What the heck?!'_ she thought, staring at her partner, demanding for an answer.

"Why yes, he bought one useless Toyota Crown Majesta car a bit more than three weeks ago. He had a Jugar F-Type Coupe with him. Funny thing, they were of the same bronze coloration," the 'Con said, hissing in pain. "_Now_ will you release me? Give me a chance to pack up and skedaddle while Micronus hasn't come yet!"

Dead End switched to car mode instead and opened the door for Mikaela to climb in. Swindle squirmed, swung his tail back and forth to assault the visitors. The Peugeot hit the gas and dashed out of the factory, yet before driving past the gates, launched a beam into the building that pulled every metallic object after itself.

Mikaela leaned against the seat with her arms crossed overhead. They were driving towards the same bridge but now with minimum speed and with emergency lights turned on.

"How'd you know that my father was there?" the girl asked while gazing at the stars in the sky.

"As you now. Know. I used to serve. The Shifters. They fixed my. Malfunctioned circuit that. Turned me into a. "Vampire". The glitch wasn't neutralized. Completely. The circuit is still affecting. My vocalizers," the driver answered. "Amalgamous Prime knows. A lot more. About the Crack Team. Than us."

"Wait, Nolan was a member too?"

"No. Soundwave was first. To escape. Makeshift used Laserbeak. As a bait in one. Fateful encounter. The Colonel shot him. Down and reprogrammed to serve. Their cause. I was second to flee. But-"

::Soundwave to Dead End. Come in, Dead End!::

The radio's screen lit up, showing a combination of codes and numbers. As soon as the 'Con accepted the call, a huge Decepticon insignia appeared on the screen.

"Dead End here. Report."

::Return to base ASAP. Repeat: return to base ASAP.::

"Something went wrong?" Mikaela inquired, leaning closer to the display.

::Starscream's left HQ. I cannot pinpoint his Energy Signature.::

::What?! How'd you let him escape in the first place!? He's an open target for the enemy, you glitchhead!::

"Calm down. Thundercracker," Dead End said. "Does your. Bridge system. Still function?"

::Affirmative. I'm departing right now!::

"No. Open a bridge when. I send you the coordinates. Wait for my further. Instructions."

::But Dead End! He's my Commander!::

"Do it, Thundercracker."

::Fine… Thundercracker out.::

::Soundwave out.::

"Prepare your weapon, Mikaela. I fear Starscream left for. A good reason," the driver growled, adding some more speed. "You might be the only. Agent. I can send."

Mikaela tightened her grip on the claw. She nodded to herself and ordered the badge to turn to crossbow mode. Clenching her other fist, the girl looked at the empty road in the middle of which a white portal appeared. Dead End sped into the gate, and Mikaela closed her eyes. The first thing she heard was the noise of heavy footsteps from afar.

* * *

><p><strong>Whoa, so Starscream's finally decided to take action yet why? What could he be possibly after now? Stay tuned for the next chapters!<strong>

**Feel free to review. Ideas, opinions, and error notes are welcomed.**


	14. Chapter 14: The Mask Of Deceit

**Chapter 14**

**The Mask of Deceit**

He'd gone so far but was always left behind, uninformed. He'd used subterfuge to reach that goal, tried cooperating less with the group, yet whenever that girl looked at the Seeker or even said mech remembered her scarlet eyes, he would let the answer out without second thoughts. The teen was wearing a mask made of lies and deceit in everyone's company. Her fear satisfied him; it made him feel more dominating in the current form... at first. Soon one aspect forced the flier into thought. Those fears of heights, speed, vampires, like Dead End, — mere illusions created by herself to shadow the reality, possibly the fear of disclosure.

Starscream raised his helm to notice the burning light in the room outside of the duct. He got up with a low grunt and approached the grate, keeping short distance from the bars. Out of all bays on the ship, fate just had to lead him to the Ground Bridge. Then again, if the crew had gathered there, the meeting should have been worth his while.

Dead End and his human partner were waiting next to the console, the mech entering combinations of codes on the keyboard. Starscream recognized the sequence and entered the codes into his scanners. Whoever the visitor could be, they were coming from Spain.

"Where's Starscream. Nolan?" Dead End questioned, startling the spy. "You said. You'd found him."

"I had, Dead, but he stormed off right after we started arguing about Cybertron," Nolan claimed, shrugging.

The leader quit on the codes for a moment and turned his helm to Nolan.

"I've told you this. Before, Nolan. It is best. Not to argue with. Decepticons," his partner warned, glaring slightly at the boy. "You may. Argue with me. But the others. Mostly of higher. Peers. Do not tolerate. Harsh propositions. Only the leader. May argue. Others are forbidden. "

Dead End paused when he finished with the last line.

"No. Wrong. Others are not recommended. If want to live," he corrected.

"Lemme guess, there _were_ peers who argued with your boss," the boy guessed with a cocky smile. "Someone among the Seekers I guess."

Starscream bore his fangs into his digits not to growl out loud. His servo trembled from a desperate desire of wiping that smirk off the human's face. The guy's previous dispute that didn't end that well was returning in a form of a tough migraine. The Seeker grabbed the right side of his helm, his fans kicking up to cool down the heating processor. Starscream rubbed the upper part of his head, venting in relief when the harsh pain began to subside.

_'This is even worse than Megatron's punishment... Ugh, the more often I access my databanks, the stronger this helmache gets!'_ he thought, hissing as another wave of pain struck through his forehead.

_"And let's not talk about particular people here, but about you. The Troyan's still dominating, and you're damn too blind to see that!"_

Dominating... He was starting to hate that word.

"Geez, that's quite the story you got there, girls," Nolan said, returning the Seeker to reality. "But it really makes me wonder why they would want to attack the Autobots. Those 'Bots aren't quick to give up."

"You have not mistaken. 55 per cent of the Terrorcons have been wiped out. Those 45 per cent survived can hardly rival the Prime's squad," Soundwave reported. "I suggest we scan the area for left parts and use them as test subjects. The Autobots have a high percentage of being victorious anyway, so I see no profit in investigation."

"Gallant. Must have already. Done that," Dead End said. "We should not. Be too. Positive in that. What if their target. Isn't the faction. We speak of?"

"Wait, don't tell me it could be the Shifters," Mikaela said, joining the debate. "What allies could they have among higher peers?"

"No, no, wait, the higher peers might be the Shifters themselves. If you think logically, those guys hate humans but spare Transformers. They're stuck here like the rest of you," Nolan pointed out. "So they have to have some allies among the neutrals."

"Does your theory have proof?" Soundwave questioned, sounding quite unsure about the concept. "What data do you have on their participation?"

"I may not have the data, but I do have the proof. Six kids disappeared in Chicago months ago, and three of them have already been found dead with Old Cybertronian glyphs on their necks!" Nolan barked. "Those aren't the symbols of the Crack Team! These are Amalgamous Prime's tags!"

Starscream shuddered as one of the mechs stomped the ground, making the duct tremble from the earthquake. He crawled up to the grate like a soldier hiding in a trench and peeped into the room. Both Soundwave and, surprisingly, the human were having a glaring match, the boy not giving up an inch on the victory. Kierra was moving away from between the duo while Dead End tried approaching them at a slow pace, probably willing not to engage into a fight with the Officer.

"Give me a reason to listen," Soundwave said in a hoarse whisper.

"Give me a cause to give up," Nolan said in a low voice. "And a reason to listen to you as well."

_'What a stubborn baboon! Doesn't he know any of us could end his fate just behind Dead End's back?'_ Starscream thought, fully absorbed into the conflict. _'What is he doing?'_

Soundwave straightened up, drew his shoulders back, doing two circles, then tilted his helm to the right, then to the left. Mikaela tugged her pal away by the wrist, but Nolan broke loose from the hold and continued on with the staring until the Officer took his turn... towards the corridor door in silence. Starscream gripped the grate, almost tore it off just to see the Decepticon leave. Had it been his scanners, or he saw a shiver run down the white mech's plating?

A movement on the right side of the room caught his optic. The Seeker pushed away from the bars as Kierra turned his way. Those red eyes were staring at him again, seeing his Spark right through the chest plating as if it were made from the clearest glass. Starscream's wings quivered; his servo was in deep search of a panel, a shield, just any lying useless thing he could find to stay away from that look, but nothing seemed to be around.

He stopped dead. Like chameleons the human's eyes changed their color to yellow. He felt no pressure, or any kind of exposure from before, but sensed the same girl that stood by his side that morning; the teen who was craving his recognition.

"You guys, there's more into this than we think!" Mikaela shouted. "Let's deal with the mission first then fight!"

"Suggestion. Sounds reasonable enough. Decepticon or Shifter. We should investigate," Dead End agreed. "Mikaela and I. Shall depart. To Las Vegas. While you. Nolan, take Kierra, Dualor, and Barricade. And head to Boston."

"Hey, hold your horses, pal!" Nolan objected. "One: why shouldn't we send two people per city? We can cover more ground if divide into groups of two! Two: why does Mika get to ride with you all the time? Is this some kind of betrayal?"

Starscream heard Mikaela chuckle at that statement, yet rather than bursting out laughing himself, let a hopeless vent escape his throat.

_'Humans. Are they always this childish?'_ he thought with a shake of his helm.

"Answer one: Dualor's alernative mode. Doesn't serve as the best. Camouflage. He works with you. As additional firepower. And a supporter. While you provide him. Needed cover," the 'Con explained. "Answer two: oh, and how have. You found out?"

The trio burst into a laughter, making the Seeker want to turn away in disgust. He tried finding the teen. Oddly enough, she was nowhere to be seen. His sensors scanned all the corners, closet, and hidden chambers in the room, and only on the fourth attempt they picked up a movement in the doorway. He noticed an elbow pointing out from behind the corner, going up and down as if the girl were writing or doodling a picture in a hurry. A small curved spike, maybe even a wing, was pointing out from behind the doorway as well.

Spreading his wings, Starscream hurried to the other side of the duct. With his thrusters running at minimum velocity he whooshed round the corner to the grate in the floor. The mech pressed against the bars. Under the cover of shadows, with a somewhat soleless expression two optics were staring at the floor, white pupils rolling as if in fear of being spotted. Starscream couldn't believe his scan results. The "shield" covering the persona's face was giving off signals of Cybertronian origin, yet his cerebro-circuits could decipher those high-frequency sounds.

Then the enigma took a device out of her pocket. It was transmitting signals to a different location that the mech recorded without haste. Cautious, the person stepped out of the dark. In reaction to light the mask began to change its form. Its rust-colored beak shifted into a faceplate that clearly resembled the Prime's battle plate, but the only difference was how it just had vanished. Starscream got no signals anymore, neither did he see those golden eyes. The Seeker couldn't believe his optics.

It was his follower.

_'A traitor among us... No, it mustn't be so, never!'_ Starscream thought, his plating stiffened from rage till the scan results showed up. _'Egypt... The last stand of The Fallen, and the former location of the Matrix of Leadership. I must check this.'_

Starscream scratched his chin in thought. He growled as the truth proved his ideas impossible to realize.

_'With Soundwave on this hulk, and that fragger Dead End sneaking about, chances of escape are more than below zero. However... They are leaving, which leaves only Soundwave in charge... Tricking him might take time.'_

The flier averted his gaze towards the other part of the corridor. He had the entire duct at his complete disposal, and despite of Soundwave and Nolan's constant monitoring, his location wouldn't be that easy to pinpoint. He had the chance yet had no equipment. Starscream paused at the thought of weaponry. A huge grin grew on his faceplates as he eyed the panels above his helm.

Jumping from the ground, he flew up to the ceiling and tore a panel off. Wires of all colors and shapes fell on and knocked him to the floor. Starscream groaned, yet with his stubborn programming still reminding him of the goal, the mech tossed the cords aside and continued on with his search. He grabbed three wires, dust showering into his optical sensors, and pulled them toward himself, tearing off another layer of cabling. Piece by piece he removed the cover, his optics narrowing at the sight of a white chink through the bundle of rubber.

_'There you are, my Energon Power Cord,'_ the schemer thought, grinning to himself.

He took a yellow crystal out of his subspace with a quiet, malevolent snicker that he was doing his best to muff with a fist. The Energon was melting before his very optics. He imagined sticking it into the cord, shutting the starship's systems down permanently.

How quickly the Blood of Unicron penetrated the Harbinger's central processor; how effortlessly the codes, the texts, the team's work landed into Starscream's hungry servos. The crystals broke through the soft cabling and wrapped round the prized cord like Space barnacles invade the hull. His fellow Transformers, and the humans screamed the curse's name in all of the parts of the ship. They ran with a ladder to the duct. With Blurr's speed Nolan climbed to the grate and hustled to the source of the fracture. Starscream had already reached an opening in a pipe and crouched behind a sheet metal.

But he couldn't see Nolan any longer. He heard the human boy's whines right next to himself. Offlining his optics, the Seeker hoped to eliminate the glitch, yet the guy's voice was still ringing in his receptors, and there still seemed to be no technician anywhere close to him. Instead, a jet of gas spurted through the cord, hissing like a kettle. Plus, the Dark En he'd placed there had been replaced by a small dagger.

"You own one wicked mind, Seeker Starscream."

Starscream scanned the gas cloud, the detectors picking up a pair of knight boots in the shadows. Bars crashed onto his back as he stepped away from the short shadow shaping in the dark. The knight's raised saber was challenging him, calling the Seeker up to the Mini-Con for a final score to settle.

As he'd seen those eyes, Starscream grew agitated. The swords on his servo unfolded in defense. He drew the blaster from the subspace and opened fire on the robot. With every made shot the enemy would dodge the laser and dash to the farthest corner in the room. The pursuer screamed Gallant's name as he charged at the mech who was retreating down the vent. Silently, he sprinted under the pipe while shooting at the runaway's pedes. The Seeker growled when his attempts proved futile. Whatever speed he chose to fire at, the Mini-Con would avoid the bullets with a swift dodge to the opposite side.

"Can't catch me without your jet form, Seeker?" Gallant teased, sniggering to himself. "You should try harder to catch up with my speed."

_'Is this the Gallant I know?'_ Starscream suddenly thought.

The mech stopped in his tracks and slid till the next turn. He eyed the red knight hide behind the corner. The Mini-Con's servo, if the pursuer wasn't being deceived, disintegrated into white light that disappeared in a split second.

Starscream felt something amiss about the whole situation. Some kind of unclear humming was growing louder and louder from the same place where Gallant used to be seconds ago; there was a brief, impulsive noise, and sparks showered on the floor. Astonished, Starscream retreated from the source. His wings jolted up as his sensors registered no surface under his pedes. He commanded his thrusters to start running, yet error messages kept popping out, proving his orders unrealizable. The Seeker fell into a void of bright light, apparently a Ground Bridge to another location.

He landed on a stone floor and looked up. The gate had vanished, so did his ticket back to the base. Starscream scanned the area, trying to pinpoint his location, but the data he received didn't prove to be that useful.

"No data... Your signal jamming device cannot stop me from finding you, Gallant!" the 'Con barked. _'If you are Gallant first of all. You act too childishly for a serious tactician.'_

"You are right, Seeker, I am not the person I was trying to impersonate," a remark sounded from afar.

His receptors picked a shuffling from behind. He opened fire on every object in the cave, demolishing all ores around himself. Only then did he stop when tiny rocks started falling from the ceiling onto his helm. Starscream gazed upwards; a huge stalactite broke off the ceiling and was now going straight into him. With his claws ready, the mech slashed the target, slicing the formation into two.

"You do not know me at all, but I do know you too much like an old friend, or a sworn nemesis," the enigma continued. "This little game would be more exciting if you had regained your original form. Shooting rocks down is a bit dull, or maybe even irrelevant to the age you function in. I am not confident in that judgement however."

_'My age? What's he blabbering about?'_ Starscream thought while trying to push the two stalactites away. _'Unless... I'm not facing my enemy... I'm facing a Prime!'_

"It's not as illogical as you think there, Seeker Starscream," came another reply. "And yes, I truly am a Prime, but which do you believe I am? Quintus, Alchemist, Prima, Liege Maximo, Megatronus, Solus, Vector, or Alpha Trion? Choose any one."

"But there are only seven Primes, including Optimus Prime! You listed eight without that foolish Autobot leader!" the Seeker pointed out.

He heard his own voice now in the cave. His last word was being repeated again and again until the echo became too quiet in the farthest parts of the cave. Only the sound of dripping water was playing in the background of his venting. He aimed his gun at a pair of rocks that collapsed next to him. The brawler kept shooting them until reducing them to dust, his cooling fans kicking up yet again.

_'I will get out of this by myself, just you see, Prime,'_ he thought, hiding the gun into the subspace. _'Neither your, nor the traitorous girl's aid shall be needed. I am more than capable of finding a solution on my own.'_

He didn't have that many choices of roads. Two paths were leading straight and back. The mech chose the path going straight without looking back at the darker choice. It didn't seem as easy as he thought at first. The road was lead him up a fallen rock formation, and after three cycles of walking he chose the path going to the left. Starscream felt a shiver run down his spine; he noticed how low the ceiling had turned out to be in that part of the cave. Gulping his nervousness, the flier tried focusing his attention on a different subject. He stopped in mid-thought at the sight of a blue light glowing way deeper into the tunnel.

_'Is this... The shine of Energon?'_ Starscream thought, still keeping distance from the glow. _'Or a mere trap set by the Prime? It better should not.'_

Activating his thrusters, he dashed towards the source while passing the pointy minerals on the ceiling. His scanners picked up only one crystal in the area, and an unidentified signal, reported to exceed his size ten times. Landing next to the valuable ore, Starscream drew his claw blades, keeping them closer to his Spark.

"Where are you, Prime? Don't tell me you're going to hide from me this whole time!" he teased, approaching the crystal at a slow pace. _'Just what are you plotting?'_

Starscream recognized himself in the Energon. He had the urge to punch that mirror the same way he dealt with the one at Kierra's friends' base. Those Mini-Con faction symbols were still showing up as a sore to his optics. The Seeker clenched his servo into a fist shivering with rage and raised it high into the air. For a moment he imagined Gallant's smiling physiognomy in the reflection. It was driving the mech out of his mind so much that he couldn't resist roaring the knight's name at the top of his vocals.

"I'll make you go offline, fragger! I _will_ have my revenge!"

But he never punched the Energon. One detail forced the mech to notice his own reflection once again. His fist dropped, he leaned closer to the blue mirror. Starscream scratched the surface, ignoring the pain that went through his digit on contact.

"No, this cannot be true... This is your trickery, Prime, I know it!" he yelled, turning away from the reflection. "Prime?!"

"I can take on human forms, I can form a mighty warrior, I can disguise myself as five separate beings at once, but one thing I have not learnt yet," the enigma paused, "is how to distort reality."

Starscream, however, didn't listen to the other mech speaking, as he was busy "admiring" his new trait, mumbling curses under his venting.

_'Blue optics... I have those blue Autobot optics!'_ he screamed in his mind, grabbing hold of his helm. _'Primus, this must be a nightmare! First the Mini-Con size, then those faction insignias, then those fragging Autobot dental plates, and now this!'_

"Another member of the Dynasty is able to create illusions though, yet Primus has forbidden me to reveal his name," the Prime continued on, ignoring the listener's stupor till the flier moaned in fury. "You should not be so worried. The Troyan itself presents a drastic change in programming. Now that is where you should start... panicking."

Starscream had forgotten about his panic attack for a moment. Raising his helm, he growled in reply, "This isn't funny, Prime! I'm more than sure you've summoned me not to present a circus act!"

"True, I have a request with a reward you might be pleased with," the Prime said, emotionless. "You very well have encountered Mikaela Banes' badge on your tiny journey. Colonel Bogdanski stole the same kind of badge from you on the Micron Starship. There are three badges in total."

"You want **me** to secure the third piece," Starscream interrupted with his guess. "But what is the reward?"

"You have not let me finish. I want you to secure the Crack Team's badge and turn it over to your peers," the Prime added. "The reward is the antidote from the Troyan. Does my offer prove promising to you, Seeker Starscream?"

_'You could make a cure? This offer sounds too easy...'_ Starscream thought, frowning.

He averted his gaze to the crystal again and squinted at a blink of white that flashed in the reflection. The Seeker saw a visor in the mirror that soon disappeared like a fading star. Just who was that Prime? An ally aiding from the shadows, or an enemy wearing the mask of deceit? Starscream counted the Primes the enigma listed. Indeed, he'd mentioned eight, and if the mech added Amalgamous, Optimus, the Fallen, and the Crack Team's leader, there were twelve — a number far exceeding seven, which the ancient historians listed in the Covenant of Primus.

_'You cannot trick me, Prime. Prima is dead, according to Optimus Prime. Quintus Prime, Alchemist Prime, Solus Prime, and Vector Prime were found with Prima in the Tomb, which the makes the original seven with Optimus Prime...'_ Starscream pondered. _'Alpha Trion was an ordinary historian that Megatron assassinated at the beginning of the War. I've seen that with my bare optics.'_

The mech looked at the crystal again. He saw no visor in the mirror, only himself with the nearby rocks.

_'Who in the name of Trypticon are Liege Maximo and Megatronus? Could Amalgamous be disguising as one of them while the Crack's leader— this doesn't make any sense at all!' _

Starscream scored the Energon with his claw, releasing his anger on the ore. He glanced up toward the crystal and had almost lost his balance. A message was carved out on the mirror, and by the looks if it the messenger had left it just recently.

_Hint: there are thirteen Primes in total while Megatronus and the Fallen are the same Transformer. What are your variants now, Seeker Starscream?_

"Fine, I accept the deal, Prime!" Starscream informed while in search of the ancient. _'This shouldn't be another one of your tricks.'_

"The location is the Hoia Forest in Romania. Its area equals three square kilometers, so you shouldn't lose your way. Unless, of course, you've got the bearings to stay there," the Prime challenged, laughing out loud enough to annoy the mech, "all _alone_. I wish you good luck."

"I'm in no need of _luck_."

A hopeless sigh sounded in the chamber, yet the Prime never continued the debate. He opened a Ground Bridge to the forest instead, and pretty soon his employee didn't pick up the Prime's signal in the cave. Left by himself with his own decisions to make, the flier couldn't force himself to head out on the mission right away.

_'Maybe I have no clue who you are, Prime, but I will find out no matter what, mark my words,' _he thought, taking out his laser gun._ 'I'll put an end to these games once and for all!'_

Without rush he marched to the gate with the gun on his shoulder. Watching from the highest ledge, the Prime whispered another "good luck" under his venting as the Seeker disappeared into the Bridge. He averted his gaze to a sparkle on the right. A human holding an orange and silver mask was smiling at the mech.

"I hope you haven't mistaken in requesting choosing him as a _candidate_. I have Quintus Prime's cure, but the Troyan might dominate him like the Decepticon police car you dealt with previously. You know how I dispose of traitors, human child," the enigma said, getting up from the ground. "He should not fail us."

"You can trust him with this as much as you trust Colin and me with the map," the girl said, rolling her green eyes. "Do I have your permission to leave? I have to join Nolan in a trip to Boston."

"Permission granted. I will contact you if we earn any leads on the planned Crack Team assaults in the chosen cities."

The human shadowed her face with the orange mask that had vanished into thin air, changing the teen's look completely. Her grey eyes glowing in a yellowish color, she bowed to the Prime and took out a remote control. The teen turned around to leave, but then stopped in her tracks and turned her head the leader's way.

"Thank you, Nexus Prime."

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><p><strong>Hm, what does Nexus Prime's message mean in reality? How's Starscream going to complete his mission in Romania all by himself? Find out in the next chapter!<strong>

**Suggestions, notes, and reviews are more than appreciated.**


	15. Chapter 15: Always Right and Never Wrong

**Author's note: I'm really sorry for such a long delay, guys! Both Aprill and May can be quite a pain when it comes to school. Anyway, here's chapter 15!**

**Reference: the line "Oh-Oh-Oh... One in a million, my lucky strike."** **belongs to the lyrics of the song "Lucky Strike" by Maroon5. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15 <strong>

**Always Right and Never Wrong**

How far he didn't go, humans appeared everywhere he went. He looked at the sky through a hole in the tarp and leaned against a tire, watching the beech branches pass the truck one by one; the Seeker slipped from the rubber as shouts of children came from somewhere ahead.

Two boys riding bicycles raced past the pickup the mech was travelling in and started a discussion with driver. Starscream untied one of the ropes securing the tart and peeped through the cover while trying to dim down his optics enough not to be caught. Their speech didn't resemble that of an American or a British speaker at all, and perhaps any other widespread human language wouldn't define any said word. Soon, however, his interpreter identified the triad's mother tongue as Romanian. Luckily, he hadn't missed the whole talk.

"Uncle Vlad, uncle Vlad!" the kids called, driving closer to the pickup. "Turn back! There's no way you'll find that car in the forest! Let those robots have it!"

The driver spat out of the window and waved his hand in the air, showing how meaningful the kids' words appeared to him. He hit the brakes, much to Starscream's annoyance, and got out of the car. The man didn't seem to be taking the "robots" as a great threat, since he possessed no flak jacket or at least any hunting clothing. Only a hunter rifle with a carving "Ghosts of Hoia" on its grip was standing out on his back.

Uncle Vlad turned his gaze to the boys and with a soft smile pet one's head.

"Sabin, Raoul, that Proton is my treasure. I had worked years to finally earn her. Those thieves will learn their lesson for stealing my baby," the man answered. "Unlike the rest of the town, Imma dig the entire forest up just to find those _aliens_ and shoot them down one after another."

_'So... Gallant is gathering new machinery for their experiments and thus building a new army. They are making risky steps. The Crack Team might give away their headquarters to my advantage,' _Starscream debated with himself, burying his head into some sacks. _'This could be a distraction. Gallant is not a fool, neither must be his leader... who is another Prime. And I've discovered one fact — Primes aren't utter fools. Their choices are not unplanned.'_

The driver hit the gas; barrel hoops fell onto Starscream from a wooden box behind his back. Around ten rings were now hanging on his neck, pulling the mech down to the floor. He slowly took the burden off with hope of not making any noise and wiped his forehead when removed the last hoop. The Seeker leaned out of the truck; he saw no children, rather an oak forest that was continuing on till a slope on the right side of the road. The pickup turned exactly towards that hill, the top of which was enveloped by a deep layer of fog.

Starscream was watching an opposite mountain that was coming into view as they were climbing the slope. He saw smoke coming from a forest yards away from his position. It didn't seem to be a fire, rather chemical emission of a power station. The scanners' results sounded absurd for the 'Con. He didn't recall receiving any data on plants to be located in the forest, if there were operating any in the nearest area.

"Ce naiba?!" the driver cursed, the mech's translator unable to interpret that word.

Pretty soon the Seeker caught the meaning of said phrase. The car raced down the mountain similar to a torpedo, all the stuff held in the boot sliding to the other side of the truck. Starscream grabbed hold of the box that, luckily, stood in place. Barrel hoops, glass bottles, and flower pots were rattling since then. Even though the driver was now going at less speed, the car was springing up when the wheels passed the deep ruts in the road; plus the pickup itself started creaking like an unlubricated door on the Nemesis.

Starscream groaned as his helm hit against a hard object in the sacks. He reached into the millet; an odd razor was slipping through his digits until the mech grasped and tore it off. The Seeker's Spark skipped a beat at the sight of a fang in his palm. That shard was screaming Terrorcon, and the stains of Dark En in the tooth's root were only proving his thoughts true. The 'Con dug deeper into the bags, yet he couldn't grope the treasure anywhere in the grain. His servo was sinking into the sack until the mech found a hole in the wooden plank.

_'The jaw must have fallen through. No wonder the sack is half empty… Where could the human have gotten the Terrorcon from?'_ Starscream thought, tossing the fang from hand to hand like a coin. _'If this used to be one of the Ravage clones, the forest should be under surveillance. I must have my Laser Rifle within—'_

"What the hell is that?!" the Seeker heard the man shout.

Several shots rang out after those words; Starscream leaned out of his hideout only to see a bewildered farmer shooting at the tree branches pointing out in the fog. Yellow leaves were falling down from the basswoods, yet no enemy would reveal himself. Then the human held fire and glanced around himself, rifle held close to his chest in an iron grip.

"I swear to God I've seen something on that branch," the farmer muttered, not letting his eyes off the tree. "It couldn't have been a ghost!"

Starscream covered his face with a palm and shook his helm.

_'There is no such being as a ghost!'_ he screamed in his mind. _'This must have been a—'_

The Decepticon ducked when two bullets tore through the tarp right above his helm. The farmer hid behind the truck and opened fire on the same branches from before, only now an android was hanging upside down on that tree. Starscream wasn't picking up any signals from the enemy. His targeting sensors showed the target as an empty shell without any weak spots. The human's arsenal didn't prove to be enough to harm that creature. The riffle's bullets hadn't even left a single scratch on its armor.

Starscream noticed a movement with the corner of his optic; a leaf fell from the top of the same larch. He leapt out of his hideout and opened rapid fire on the bent branch. The tree began to shake as something grabbed hold of the bough, losing its grip on a sniper rifle. Holding fire for a moment, the Seeker paid attention to the mark on the sniper's shoulder.

"No soldier of the Crack Team shall leave my wrath online!" Starscream swore, pulling the trigger.

The Mini-Con's visor cracked. He let go of the larch and crashed down to the ground. Starscream had his blaster aimed at the frame, eyeing the insignia for more than one cycle. He heard the farmer move behind his back, yet couldn't allow himself to be distracted from the lying bot. The mech noticed the human slowly scoop up the lying rifle and aim it at the back of the Decepticon's head, his hands shaking with horror.

_'What could be moving with such a curved trajectory?'_ Starscream wondered, scanning the remaining trees.

Then his sensors pinpointed a signal in a bush that began rustling right after the 'Con aimed his weapon at the plant. With his wings raised, the hunter centered all attention on the shrub. His digit scratched the trigger at the sight of two yellow eyes flickering in the hideout. And then the _spy_ revealed itself.

Starscream lowered his wings and the gun. A young fox cub peeped out of the bush, licking its snout in a lazy manner. Its pupils widened when the Seeker yelled at the animal, "Shoo, vermin!"

As if having understood his speech, the creature dashed past the Mini-Con frames into the forest and had never showed up again. However, the mission turned out to be unaccomplished when the Decepticon remembered about one particular human who was hesitating to stab a knife into the flier's wings.

"Lower the gun, human," he said calmly with his back turned to the man.

"Since when have y-you been in any position to order m-me around?" the farmer asked, his voice shaky. "Don't make a fool out of me! I know you'll get rid of me right after I-I get the heck out of here!"

_'A bright human I'm facing, but,' _Starscream thought, frowning. "I advise you to drop that gun before my patience gives out. But when it does, I never spare my enemies, especially flesh creatures."

"I'm the one who'll be placing demands here, and no robot's going to order me around!" the farmer yelled, his grip on the riffle tight.

Starscream decided not to reply that time. He recognized some of those words as his own; they sounded so unusual to him now, as if the mech would have never said anything similar to any other being. He'd accessed his memory banks again where the horrid migraine broke its cover. The Seeker wished to finish with the human once and for all for another helmache. However, he concentrated on a different matter and redirected his blaster from the human's head to the same bush that was shaking like a coconut tree under the force of a storm.

_'My targeting sensors are never wrong. I myself rarely make any mistakes,'_ Starscream reassured himself.

His audios were picking up electromagnetic signals coming from all sides. There had gathered at least twenty sources, and all of them were trying to knock him sideways, much to the Decepticon's annoyance. Leaves rustled right behind his back, scaring the human enough to make the startled man shoot at that tree and bring another drone shell down like a bird. Starscream turned on his heel and fired at the same larch, but all he earned in response was a rain of cones.

"I've had enough of your hiding!" the mech snarled, clawing the gun's trigger.

The Seeker caught sight of a black frame turned with its back to the car. That Mini-Con had a familiar number _3_ on his back — the mark of a racer he'd met in the Millennium Labs. However, having caught the flier's hard stare, the minion sprinted farther into the woods. He jumped onto a tree branch and glared back at the enemy as if daring him to follow.

"I'm coming after you, Downshift!" Starscream announced in a raised his voice.

The Seeker hadn't noticed how quickly he'd caught up with the runaway. He was chasing the target downhill like a wolf hunting down a hare. At drastic speed he followed Downshift through the larch needles that were lashing his face. The Mini-Con, unlike him, was speeding up with every minute, jumping to the lowest points of the trees. He leapt down into the long grass and continued running, his helm sinking into the greenery until only the scattering grass could be seen from the above. Then an aspen branch appeared out of nowhere and would have knocked the flier down if he hadn't descended into the maze. The laugh that came from behind was only agitating him even more though.

"Forgive me, but my friends would rather you didn't disturb them."

Starscream detected a curled around his foot wire that was tugging him into a hidden under the leafy plants marsh. With a hornbeam thicket coming up, he didn't have much time to muse over the situation. He folded his wings into a defensive position and forced a way through the tiny tree, breaking the thin branches like matches. The Seeker dove into the leaves, gliding inches away from a bough, and sped towards a chink of light.

He ended up flying above a huge lake, almost touching his own reflection in the water, but the mech still felt the rope rubbing against his ankle. Downshift was water skiing close to his _boat _with the end of the line tied around his fist. A wide grin replaced his barely visible smile as he showed the victory gesture to the Decepticon.

"I'll be the one laughing last, you annoying little pest!" Starscream declared loud enough for the pursuer to hear.

He ascended to the height of twenty feet and made a loop above the pursuing Mini-Con, glaring at the racer before ramming into his shoulder plating and pushing into a clump of trees rowing up alongside the bank. As if being possessed by a spell Downshift clutched the Decepticon's plating and didn't care releasing the flier any time soon. The Mini-Con dug deep into the armor, making the mech wince in pain, and forced him to go into a rapid spin.

"Fool! You're going to crash us both!" the Seeker cried out in panic.

Downshift decided not to provide his enemy with an answer. Instead, he held the mech's claws firmly with one servo and pushed his heel against the hostage's abdomen. As soon as the Mini-Con felt the flier's struggling waver, his servo formed a gun that he aimed at the jet's engines. Without haste he neutralized them both at the same time and withdrew the weapon. They were now coming down harshly through the thin trunks of filbert and soon entered an open field Starscream was unable to identify with blues, reds, and greys spinning in his optics. Downshift's last words were like an electric shock that went through his wings.

"I hope you have enjoyed our small trip. Will be seeing you, _Lord _Starscream"

Before the captive could have thought of a smart comeback, his wings crashed against a pile of some round, flat metal vessels which scattered in different directions. Some sort of glass objects were raining very close to him. Starscream offlined his optics as his back connected with the wooden wall. He covered his helm when small packs of dried leaves —or was it tea?—, dinnerware, napkins, and boxes filled with odd powder were bombarding the unwanted guest from somewhere overhead. What made it worse, a whistle came from outside of the room he was in, but then everything became quiet, though there still was a radio playing close by.

_"Oh-Oh-Oh... One in a million, my lucky strike."_

"This is not one of my luckiest strikes..." Starscream admitted, finally daring to look up, yet then he was pelted by his own words said to the mysterious Prime.

_"I'm in no need of __**luck**__."_

"Fine, I admit it! I was wrong!" the mech confessed, throwing his servos into the air, knocking another bowl down from the shelf. "Are you happy now?"

His memory banks weren't giving any other memories, much to the flier's rage. He vented hot air in annoyance while trying to clear the tin can barricades before his pedes. Starscream stopped dead, his wings lowering as he realized what he had just heard — voices of humans, many humans, maybe an entire crowd, and all of them sounded not too far from the room he'd ended up in.

"Alina, we're wasting time searching this swamp. I suggest we climb the slopes, set a camera on the tallest tree, and gather data in the open fields," a male voice sounded in the background. "Oh, why do I bother? This project's a total letdown!"

"Please, Dragos, be an optimist like me, not a pessimist like Jakov. And no, Jakov, I'm not teasing you. You both can be a pain in the ass," replied a female. "All right, team, get into the van, we're going into the most magnetic spot in the forest. And no, I'm not open for any whines, groans, and moans! We're researchers who're doing their job!"

"Will we ever find out where the course is set? That's the first thing you should tell us, Novak," came a pitched male voice that might belong to a thirteen-year-old. "We could gather the accessible data on that area before departure."

"Firstly, Emil, don't call me by the surname. Secondly, we're going to the Bongar Valley oak grove. Thirdly, just open the van so that we wouldn't waste time!"

"Sure, Ma'am, but you've sort of got the keys, and I can't open the door with my finger."

Loud outbursts of laughter followed their conversation, yet Starscream didn't have much to laugh about. Bolting up to his pedes, he scanned the room for any wardrobes or a cabinet where he could sit tight and wait for the coast to clear without having to worry about being spotted. There appeared to be cupboards of all shapes and sizes, but only mugs and any kind of desert dish would fit in there.

He jumped down the table and noticed a bigger door under the sink. The mech's Spark skipped a beat when the humans inserted the keys into the lock. Quickly, he pushed the door open and groaned in helplessness. The perfect hiding spot was loaded with tons of trash that showered on the floor with a loud blare.

"What's that noise?" Dragos asked, pulling the knob. "Emil, you moron, you've locked the third lock! I never use that one! We might as well sleep outside because of you!"

_'This is not happening, this is __**not**__ happening!'_ Starscream thought, his mind dominated by panic.

He was rushing from corner to corner in search of shelter. Whatever place he chose it was either overloaded with unneeded junk or simply too small for him to fit in. The Decepticon slipped on a tin can, landing on his backside while the canned food rolled to the middle of the van.

"I swear I've heard something! Open it up, Dragos!" the fourth male, most-likely Jakov, spoke. "We've got thieves in our campervan!"

_'Starscream, pull yourself together! There should be a place spacious enough..._' he thought, getting up to his pedes. _'The couch!'_

With the speed of lightning the mech slipped under a sofa and crawled to the farthest corner, away from a hanging cloth. He heard a group of people barge into the van then come to a halt before his optics. The first thing he heard was the woman's ohs и ahs. She bent down to the kitchen table, staring at a blend of all sorts of spices and many liquids the humans stored on the shelves. Feeling uneasy about the whole incident, Starscream was biting his digits while watching the crowd gather around the table. He recognized everything splattered across the floor — the mountains of salt and pepper dissolving in a lake of hot coffee with sour cream combined with red wine and ginger powder playing the role of a tiny archipelago; a yellowish substance that smelled a lot like alcohol was blended in with ketchup and mayonnaise. Anyway, the most original stew ever created! And swimming in the center of that swan lake was a lonely white flower that the young woman picked up slowly as if it were a frail porcelain vase.

_'I thought I would never have to remember Megatron's bawls,'_ Starscream pondered, lengthening the distance between the sofa and himself.

"There goes our lunch," Emil commented. "Pizza, anyone?"

"I cannot believe this..." Alina trailed off.

The men made a step back while their guest huddled up into the farthest corner he could find.

"She's about to blow," he heard one of the guys say. "We're not getting any pizza today, brother."

Starscream's Spark sunk into his heels when the woman literally sprang up into the air. The next thing he knew, she was jumping for joy, throwing the flower up and down like a toy, and squealing, driving the mech insane. He covered his audio receptors and buried his helm into the carpet, but the high-pitched screaming didn't seem to cease.

"I've told you this a million times! They exist; aliens exist!" Alina exclaimed, stomping the floor. "And you three were telling me I'm nuts!"

"Uh-hu, sure, we believe you..." the men said in unison.

"Thank Primus this hell has stopped…" Starscream mumbled to himself.

Finally he could relax from the bothersome humans. They cared less about checking the van, though Jakov and Dragos, if he hadn't mistaken, cleaned the floor up and placed every fork and knife, bowl and can onto the correct shelves. One of the men kicked a jar under the furniture and left it there, right under the Seeker's claw. He heard Emil whine about carrying a huge box, but how large it was, Starscream didn't know until the human dropped it on the sofa that sagged and pinned him down to the carpet.

_'Oh fraaag!'_ the mech wished to whine, trying hard to crawl away from the press yet found himself unable to move.

"All right, gentlemen, let's hit the road!" Alina announced, her ear-piercing voice ringing like a bell in the guest's audios. "Crank up the tunes, Dragos!"

With a shout and a "hey" the human turned the volume loud. At first a melody of guitar strings was being played; the slow music was perhaps of the country genre, but Starscream became unsure when then silence returned to the room. It had lasted for about a minute, which was followed by the rapid beats of drumsticks, signaling the beginning of the song. Then it had _really_ started. Pain seared his receptors in response to the rash drumming and screaming, which sounded like metal screeching when being curled into a tube. The cups were tingling on the shelves. Starscream, checking the room for any humans first, pulled the sheet off the sofa and hid his helm into the soft fleece right before the vocalist screamed at the top of his lungs, singing the word "crazy" for five or more nano-clicks.

_'This is going to be a very long mega cycle...' _the Seeker thought with a groan.

Pretty soon the mech got distracted from the heavy metal — or whatever it was called — when remembered the way he had ended up in the camper. That house on wheels did have windows big enough for him to climb in, but they could not be fully opened, plus they were locked if his optics hadn't deceived him. He didn't recall Downshift teleporting into the van as well. Starscream had met a dead end in his musings. How could he have ended up in a locked campervan?

_'This is one puzzling dilemma... The reasonable explanation would be Downshift having a special device.'_

That though had hit the jack pot. The mech remembered their first encounter in the labs where the purple Mini-Con and his hostile friends were on the brink of tearing him apart. One of the boys told the racer to back off then hide not behind the thick curtain but its black lace.

_'But Downshift is with the Shifters... Or is he? Humph, Amalgamous Prime isn't the bright Prime he pretends to be,'_ Starscream mused. _'There could be spies amongst Dead End's peers as well. I hardly believe it's Banes, her meddlesome baboon, or Dead End. They're too right to work in concert with Gallant. That only leaves me with Soundwave and the girl.'_

The Seeker paused as he listed those options.

_'Soundwave was acting suspiciously while serving Megatron, but as far as I remember, the sympathy towards those pets has always prevailed over his agendas. As for the human... I...'_ he mused, pausing in midthought. _'I don't want to think about this.'_

And he didn't bother touching that topic again, rather found staring at the sofa leg as a better way to ignore the burning in his audios up until the end of the trip. The humans had turned the horrid tune off some time before the mech had returned to reality. They were chatting among themselves about the extraterrestrials and everything concerning that hobby. Their conversation didn't seem that intriguing at first, but then one of the guys mentioned Chicago. Starscream tossed the fleece off his helm to receive a clearer version of their chat.

"Have you ever heard of the Game in C?" Emil asked. "Well, you know, the Game in Chicago."

"What does a football game have to do with our theme?" Dragos questioned, obviously irritated. "Let's fix our current problem, which is the proof for our research. We can't get distracted by random news reports!"

"It's not a news report, you dumbass, it's the weird phenomenon in Chicago in December that had lasted for three days!" the guy corrected, equally annoyed. "Its broadcast was forbidden all around the World. They deleted every video about it on YouTube! Plus they blew up every bridge connecting the city. No one can go there now!"

"But you have a copy of the vid," Jakov guessed.

"Bull's eye."

"Show it. Maybe it's the same aliens from the Hoia Baciu forest!" Alina said, all excited.

"Just listen to what I have to say first, people!" Emil growled, striking a wooden surface with his fist. "My words make more of it than this little fragment!"

"Seriously, people, let him speak," Dragos finally said, snapping his fingers to regain order in the room. "You have our full attention, brother."

"Thanks, bro," Emil said. "Anyway, according to the data my friend Henry gathered there, everything starts with a purple zigzag light in the sky that keeps growing and growing till sunrise. Then it just changes colors to yellow and vanishes. But the most interesting part is that all military technology disappeared as well!"

"You know, gang, there's a theory that Chicago's destruction wasn't caused by the terrorists' actions but by an alien invasion," Jakov inserted. "There's a rumor explaining that destruction as a war between two alien races. The first one was fighting for Earth while the second one was yearning to conquer it. Some witness had survived the incident and claimed the second race wanted to revive their home planet."

"Maybe that's true, but we don't have the proof. Anyway, the government has ordered to evacuate all citizens after the disaster," Emil continued with his version. "However, five families from the southern part stay behind. They claim their children have been kidnapped by aliens. Naturally, no one believes them, so the rescue brigade evacuates them by force. And what do you think they say to the cops?"

"That they have seen a purple zigzag in the sky?" Alina posed a version.

"Yes, but that's the first claim. The second one is the explosion after which crystals begin growing all around the area. The river gets polluted and now resembles the water in the Yellow Sea, yet nothing happens to the sea! The mouth freezes, so the sea stays the same! Go figure."

_'One of Energon's physical properties is crystallization, but it happens at certain conditions only. Someone obviously was trying to prevent Synthetic Dark Energon from spreading all around the planet,'_ Starscream pondered.

_"They are already suspecting us, and I thank your failure with the Pulsar Cannon and the Seeker. If the trophy is not retrieved till next Sunday, you will be first to perish in the Pits of Kaon along with the other useless lab rats!"_

_'That must have been the Colonel's mistake their leader had to cover up. They could have been trying to activate the Pulsar Cannon, but it overloaded instead, yet what do the Seekers have to do with this?'_ he thought, remembering the fateful encounter. _'I must find the answers!'_

"So what has actually happened to the kids?" Alina asked, concerned. "Have they been found?"

"That's the most complicated part of the story. There were five of them: Chace Remington, Jayson Phillips, Dan Bogdanski, Raymond Rogers, and Kierra Jones. All of them vanished into the city, and three of them were found dead months later," Emil reported. "Chace and Jayson in Tranquility while Dan was found in Boston. All of them had some weird marks in Ancient Egyptian. Weird, isn't it?"

The news rendered Starscream speechless. His trusted follower — one of the missing children that were dying one by one. He had always known the girl was keeping secrets, and she had some connection with Chicago, yet why was she trying to hide the past so much? Could it have something to do with him ending up in Tranquility again? The Decepticon got the urge of seeing the teen soon with those questions serving as trump cards.

"Guys, let's take a break in a café," Alina offered, pulling the box off the sofa. "Put the equipment into storage for a while. We'll take it out a bit later."

The men began to bustle about in the van; they were running from corner to corner, carrying boxes of all sizes into the closet. Jakov and Emil were carrying searchlights to the other side of the camper while Dragos was checking the locks on the cupboards and the doors.

Starscream stretched his sore wings and his back while he still could. Those noisy humans left the place moments later, so the van now belonged to the guest, not anyone else. He considered purloining the vehicle for his personal use. However, stealing something that visible to the crowd didn't sound simple or rational at all. Having thought about that, he imagined the men returning the box to its rightful position then switching that hell of a radio on again, which wouldn't stop playing till the next break. The main idea of him stuck under that ancient sleeper for ages was weighing the mech down enough to force him crawl out of the hiding spot.

_'No, I'm not staying here for the rest of eternity!'_ he screamed in his mind. _'I have more important deeds than this!'_

At this point he looked out from under the sofa and scanned the van in case if any human decided to stay behind. The Seeker held his position for a while until Mini-Con chirping came from outside. Someone hauled the door handle four times in a row in attempt to break the lock open. With a faint whine the bolts gave in and let two mechs barge into the campervan before. As quietly as he could Starscream crept towards the kitchen table before a yellow Mini-Con with tiny horns had reached the dashboard. He watched the thief hack into the ignition switch while his white and blue companion was biting his digits, whispering to the taller bot all the time.

The second Mini-Con could obviously disguise as a space shuttle. Unlike many other Transformers, he had twin engines instead of pedes with a nosecone replacing his right servo. Starscream grew confused of the Cyberglyph inscribbed on that mech's forearm. He compared it with Chace's mark.

_'They possess the same symbol!'_ the Seeker concluded. _'Hmm, who they could be running from if they're Amalgamous' forces?'_

"Step on it, Sparkplug! We have to get our afts out of here!" the marked Mini-Con pleaded, grabbing his partner by the wheel connected to the forearm. "Come on, please hurry up!"

"I still think stealing this car is a bad idea, Sky Blast. What if you've mistaken about Amalgamous?" Sparkplug questioned, grabbing the steering wheel.

"My logic sensors are never wrong! I'm more than sure the Shifters wanted to trade me for the U-Tooth to the Crack Team! The Prime has lied to us!" Sky Blast shouted, slamming his fists against the dashboard. "Get me out of here, NOW!"

With an awkward "uh-hu" Sparkplug hit the gas pedal. The car engine growled from the unexpected command yet sped down a mountain road. Starscream rose from behind the table and headed towards the duo. The Mini-Cons were too distracted by the road to notice him sneak up to their backs. Sky Blast's left servo quivered and he turned around, his other servo transforming into a rifle. His jaw lowered in fear as the Decepticon had the weapon's optical sight on the Mini-Con's forehead.

"It's the Crack Team!" Sky Blast exclaimed, stepping back to Sparkplug's side.

The Seeker halted as he'd heard those words. Had the Mini-Con just spoke in Gallant's voice? Starscream readjusted his optics. He no longer saw either Sparkplug or his friend. Instead, Gallant had his sword at the mech's helm while the Colonel was smirking at him from the driver's seat, spinning a revolver like a toy gun in his hand.

"What's the matter, Starscream? Weren't you going to _visit _us?" the Colonel questioned, rising from the seat. "I thought you were heading to our headquarters, weren't you?"

"But— But where are the Mini-Cons?!" the Seeker shouted in despair, dropping the weapon. "What has happened to them?!"

"Why two Mini-Cons? I am the one you have always wished to deal with," came a reply.

Gallant made a step forward while Starscream preferred to retreat into the back of the camper. Neither his blades nor the blaster were obeying any of his commands! The knight was almost stepping on his toes while the Colonel was following close behind. With one swift movement Gallant blocked the only exit the Seeker was heading to. Bogdanski's and Starscream's gazes met. Hot air escaped the cornered flier's vents as he bore the claws to the human, bawling the only phrase that came to mind.

"You won't get away with this unpunished, Gallant!"

* * *

><p><strong>How have Gallant and Colonel Bogdanski found Starscream? Will Starscream manage to deal with both of them at the same time? Find out in chapter 16 next Saturday! <strong>

**I have already finished writing that chapter while chapter 17 is halfway there, so the next one's definitely coming out next weekends.**


	16. Chapter 16: Unfinished Business

**Small note: I've rewritten the first chapter. It's a bit different and has some hints from chapter 5, but they don't interrupt the general flow of the story.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

**Unfinished Business**

Starscream dodged the bullets of Colonel Bogdanski's pistol and struck at the human with his blades; he sliced a vase behind the gunner's back into two but never hit the target. The Seeker shuddered; how could he have missed? The duo, however, hadn't given him a chance to think. The human swung his foot into the mech's chest plating and knocked the blaster out of the flier's hands then kicked it into the aft of the van. Gallant, using his swords like bats, sent meat cans flying into the 'Con's chest. Starscream caught two and ducked to avoid the last three that broke through the window glass. He flung the cans back, sending one of the knight's swords flying into the driver's seat.

The mech's trackers informed him of a movement in the back of the bus. He yelped in astonishment; a kitchen table was flying straight into him. The Decepticon ducked down, letting the wooden leg pass overhead. He heard a hiss escape Gallant's vocalizers as the table pinned the knight against the control panel. As soon as the Seeker rose to his pedes a large hand caught him by the wrist. Starscream sunk his claws into the human's arm, but he'd gone right throw the limb like through a ghost!

"Nice try, wise guy," the Colonel teased, letting go of the mech. "But you haven't even left a scratch."

"Impossible! You're a mere optical illusion!" the Seeker exclaimed, stepping back. "This shouldn't have happened!"

"An _optical illusion_ you cannot hurt," Gallant said, pulling the table away from himself.

"But an illusion that can hurt you," the Colonel said with a chuckle. "Had I known you'd be such a pain in the side, I would have powered you down way back when you were at my mercy!"

Hot air escaped the Seeker's vents as the human advanced forward with a pistol aimed at his chest.

"It's the perfect day to fix that mistake thus never return to this issue again," the knight said in the background, coming a step closer.

Starscream caught the Mini-Con's gaze on the Colonel. Even though he had met him only once, the Decepticon could distinguish the current and the previous personas. While their appearance didn't possess any major differences — besides the present version's missing goggles — the Colonel before him seemed so _lifeless_ as if he were a dummy, better to say a hologram in Bogdanski's place.

Then he noticed a tiny detail: the hand Gallant was grasping his sword in was shaking. His pose looked somewhat unconfident, unstable. Evident fear shown by his crossed pedes was forming a wide crack in the Seeker's hesitation.

Starscream straightened. He folded his claw blades and stepped forward; at a calm place he went through Bogdanski as if the guy never was there. The remains of Gallant's bravery had been shattered: he was backing away towards the exit until the driver's seat met his back struts. His swords on the floor, the knight was staring at the flier, expecting for the Decepticon's next action or word.

"Never before have I thought that a simple hologram could bring such havoc," Starscream began, shortening the distance between their helms, "unless you had planted a virus that intercepts my processor's operations. Question is: have you been expecting me to fall for this? ME?"

The Seeker saw his optics' reflection in Gallant's purple eyes, which had triggered the rage program. His wings raised in anger, Starscream hissed out, "You're the one who did this to me, and **you're** going to fix it!"

"I do not repair enemy drones," came a short, emotionless answer.

"**You** don't have **a** choice," came a short, filled with hatred remark.

"I do not, which is why I refuse," Gallant continued, his voice peaceful yet Spark beat rapid. "You have taken a part of me that cannot be ever brought back. You have robbed me of the single person who had replaced a single gap in my programming."

Gallant retracted his faceplate and bore yellow fangs to the Seeker, purple optics becoming brighter second after second.

"It's your turn to pay for your sins."

Starscream roared into the knight's faceplates in response. He raised his fist about to sink his claws into Gallant's Spark, but something caught him by the neck and was dragging the flier away from the Mini-Con. The 'Con felt human skin rubbing against his wings and the man cursing under his breath. That boy forcefully turned the mech to face him. He was shaking Starscream by the shoulders, yelling at the Decepticon for an unknown reason. The guy was so unclear in his optics, but he still seemed somewhat familiar. Where could he have seen him before? Starscream jerked up as he felt pain to his right cheek.

"Starscream, snap out of it! You're being controlled by the program again!" Nolan's worried voice rang in his audios. "Come on, 'Con, I know you can hear me! Stay with me, you hear? Stay with me!"

The Seeker clutched his head in his hands as a wave of pain went through like a tidal wave. With one of his optics still online, he confirmed the boy holding his shoulders to be in fact the one trying to get to him. Soon the migraine started to cease, so did the fog fade in his eyes. Nolan let go of the mech who stumbled back but managed to keep the balance.

"Finally," the human said in a low voice. "Guess that slap really had an effect. Have to keep that in mind before you turn the whole place over next time."

"What are you blabbering about?" Starscream complained.

However, when he looked around, Nolan didn't have to add anything else. The Seeker was gaping at the wreck behind the guy's back. Cupboard doors were decorated with claw marks, canned food was splattered across the floor and the leg of the kitchen table Bogdanski had thrown at him in the fight. Starscream averted his gaze to the ceiling pierced with stuck bullets; sun rays were flashing though the filled with dust — or was it the spice humans referred to as pepper? — air. Starscream felt a lump in his throat as two Mini-Cons he'd seen enter the truck peeked into the room from behind the door of the toilet.

"You two chickens can come out. He won't bite," Nolan said with a pause, scratching his head, "at least for now."

Sparkplug bit his glossa: he was hesitating. Neither Sky Blast decided to make a move; the blue Mini-Con disappeared into the dark. Nolan placed his hands into his pockets as the duo locked themselves in.

"Fine, he IS uncontrollable but face it, you have nowhere to run with the Shifters and the Crack Team patrolling these areas!" the boy claimed, coming closer to the door. "With the cops now searching for this rust bucket, and with all Autobots and Decepticons included into the International Wanted List, you're in triple trouble. You don't want to be used as test subjects, do you?"

Starscream felt a shiver run down his entire frame. He imagined Gallant standing by his side with a datapad and an Energon prod in Nolan's place. The Seeker began to remember every encounter with the Crack Team and The Shifters. He recalled even all of Shockwave's experiments: organic transplantations, the creation of the Insecticons, the reformation of the Driller.

He focused his attention on the last point of his list. That Driller now hanging defunct on top of a skyscraper in Chicago was created as a clone of the original animal. The Seeker put the memory all back together, piece by piece. The picture seemed as clear as day to the mech.

Shockwave was detaching all power cords of the beast and placing them on a table by his side. Jag blades, hooks that used to be a part of its outer defense, three main Energon lines that were connected with the worm's processor were lying on the same place while the remaining circuits and microchips were kept in separate vessels.

Starscream was watching the process with utter disgust, as far as he felt at that moment. He didn't quite remember how he'd ended up in the mad scientist's laboratory. Well, definitely not for a friendly chat. The worm wasn't that gigantic as the one the Seeker had encountered on Cybertron. Shockwave could easily carry that creature on his shoulder.

_"What is it that you want, Starscream? I suppose Lord Megatron has already received my report on the magnetic field the AllSpark creates," _the scientist questioned, grouping the barbs on the table._ "Or is it a personal matter?"_

_"You have not sent the copy of that report to me. As our Lord's Second In Command, I must be aware of all progress gained on the location of the AllSpark!"_ the Air Commander said with a growl, pointing a finger at the Decepticon.

_"If Lord Megatron has found it unnecessary to present you with a duplicate then there is nothing I can help you with,"_ Shockwave said, returning to his work. _"Now if you don't mind, I'm busy."_

_"__**If**__ Lord Megatron has forbidden you to keep that— that beast, it means the rodent must be drifting along with other space debris, not lying on your test table!"_ Starscream came up with a comeback. _"It has already consumed half of the Nemesis' cages!"_

_"This Driller will not act as unwillingly as it used to, Starscream. I shall transfer its brain module to another upgraded body with a modified processor and circuitry,"_ the scientist started with the basics. _"Under the influence of special programming developed by the Fallen, the Driller will be given a new life cycle and goal: to destroy the Autobots. That programing can never be rewritten. Technically, a new animal is forged."_

The memory disappeared as Shockwave mentioned the Prime's faction. Starscream shook his helm to get rid of the dizziness. Sparkplug and Sky Blast had already come out of hiding and were now discussing Mini-Cons with Nolan. The Seeker, however, was too obsessed with his own thoughts to listen.

_'Perhaps I share that Driller's fate…'_ Starscream trailed off into his thoughts_. 'The real Starscream left to the Well of All Sparks a long time ago. I'm just... a clone of the original.'_

"Hey, you coming?" Nolan questioned yet earned himself the silent treatment. The guy waved in front of the mech's optics, teasing, "Anyone home?"

Silence. The Seeker dropped his gaze on the floor and tried his best to ignore the human. Nolan, unfortunately, was still towering over him.

"Starscream, come on, quit dragging your feet! The cops should find us any minute now!" the human said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Take your Mini-Cons and leave, human," came the long-awaited reply. "I'm staying here."

"No way, Jose, I'm not going anywhere without you. Either you're getting your butt to my car by yourself, or I'll drag you out of here by force," Nolan protested, folding his arms. "Come on, get up."

The mech shook his head in denial and stayed mute. Nolan hunkered down to meet the 'Con's optics. Starscream didn't bother looking away, rather kept staring into the guy's blue eyes until he paid attention to the reflection of his blue optics. He immediately turned his head to the left, but met a vase of the same color. He looked to the right and caught sight of a curtain of that cursed shade.

"No," Starscream said, hiding his helm into his knees. "Just go, boy. Keep your pity to yourself."

"I didn't pity you, Starscream," Nolan corrected with a sigh.

"Stop calling me by that name," the Decepticon requested in a hoarse whisper. "I'm not Starscream."

"Well, you're definitely not Thundercracker either," the guy continued, slumping to the floor. "I know a lot of Seekers thanks to the Harbinger's databases, and if you ask me, you're not Skywarp either. Plus there's only one Starscream, who's sulking in front of me right now."

"Shut up!" Starscream barked, covering his audios. He was already shaking with pent-up rage.

"Listen, 'Con, if you think sitting here alone, acting all independent, and ignoring everyone for God knows what reason is gonna' bring you profit, think again, 'cause nothing is going to be solved eventually. The police will find you, take you to the authorities and then sell to the scrap metal in the best case," Nolan said in a higher tone, spitting at the floor. "Worst case scenario: the Department of Defense. I heard they had scores to settle, since you attacked their base more than once."

Starscream gulped but said nothing.

"Come on, 'Con, let's go. The Mini-Cons are waiting," the human called, getting up to his feet. "Well?"

Though his stubbornness was telling him otherwise, the mech rose and followed his companion out of the campervan. An ash grey Audi Rs3 sedan was parked across the road. Sky Blast and Sparkplug were waiting for the duo in front of the car, following Starscream with nervous gazes. The blue Mini-Con hid behind his comrade's frame as the Seeker advanced towards the vehicle.

"You three get in the back. We don't want any witnesses, do we?" the driver said, spinning the keys on his index finger.

The Transformers were staring at the human, not moving an inch. Nolan rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Guys, get in. We don't have all day!"

"Uhh, right," Sparkplug said, opening the door and literally jumping into the car. "Hustle, Sky Blast. He's right. What if that green Autobot comes back?"

"Alright, fine, I'm going!" the Mini-Con said in defeat.

Starscream followed last, slamming the door shut. Nolan switched on the ignition and swung out onto the highway. Within a few seconds the car reached the speed of 45 mph. Several signs marking "The Hoia Baciu Forest" passed by. They were coming back to that odd location, and apparently, Nolan wasn't planning on returning to the base. Starscream turned away from the other Mini-Cons and looked out of the window, watching the pines speed by.

"All right, Nolan, what was your plan again?" Sparkplug questioned.

Curious, Starscream redirected his gaze to the driver.

"What plan?" he asked, confused.

"I wanted to tell you earlier," the guy said, taking a right. "Anyway, Sparkplug, I'm dropping you two off at an abandoned bus stop where my friend Mikaela will pick you up on a red Dodge Avenger."

"And your friend will take us to safety," the Mini-Con continued, earning himself a nod. "All right, sounds fair enough."

"Random question for you, Sky Blast: any ideas where your other friends are?" the driver asked before turning left.

"No. Alpha Trion hid us in three different parts of this planet. I was kept in a Mini-Con Storage Panel under Chicago, but with the Autobot-Decepticon war held there, the Crack Team managed to pinpoint my signal and dug me up," Sky Blast retold. "I have no idea how to find the others, but we must locate Astroscope and Payload as soon as possible!"

"Back to the drawing board again," the human groaned, shaking his head. "You sure Alpha Trion hasn't left any hints behind?"

"He has: each of the Space Mini-Con Team has a representative who can sense his partner's presence if he's near to awakening. I turned out to be Sky Blast's protector, since my scanners went wild when he awoke in Chicago. I happened to be in a building close by," Sparkplug explained. "My power wasn't enough to deal with Gallant's forces though..."

"Wait a sec, you didn't know about this?" Nolan questioned.

"No, neither the guardians nor the Combiners have a clue. Alpha Trion knew, but he got in Megatron's path and was destroyed. I've heard of a map he created that leads to the three partners," the yellow Mini-Con continued. "But no one knows who has it. It is said to be given to an Ancient member of a human tribe who was first to meet Alpha Trion in person. With millions of beings so similar living on this planet, it is almost impossible to find that person."

"Why did Alpha Trion choose that human in particular? I cannot believe he'd give a map to a weapon of mass-destruction for a human as a present!" Starscream noted, finally turning to face the yellow Mini-Con.

"Because that human lead him to the Liege Maximo's Dark Energon Reserve on the ancient Eurasia continent. Somehow that human knew the Liege's Micron Starship was buried under their village. Alpha Trion destroyed The Liege in a heated battle over the Energon," Sparkplug retold. "But Micronus Prime warped with the ship to a different location and has never appeared since."

_'Liege Maximo... Is deas as well?'_ Starscream wondered. _'Hmm... What did that Prime say again?'_

_"And yes, I truly am a Prime, but which do you believe I am: Quintus, Alchemist, Prima, Liege Maximo, Megatronus, Solus, Vector, or Alpha Trion? Chose anyone."_

_"Hint: there are 13 Primes in total while Megatronus and the Fallen are the same Transformer. What are your variants now, Seeker Starscream?"_

_'He listed the dead Primes!'_ the 'Con realized after moments of thinking. _'Five out of thirteen are still functional it seems: Amalgamous, Micronus, Optimus, and two others. The one I've met couldn't be Amalgamous, since they have different speech patterns. The Colonel mentioned some Cron in his talk with Gallant... MiCRONus might be the full name of that Cron — another Prime. This leaves me only with the two unknown Primes. Either of them is the Crack Team's leader!'_

Starscream jerked in the seat as he heard the car door slam shut. Nolan barked at the two Mini-Cons yet calmed down when Mikaela approached the Audi. He joined her outside, next to where the Seeker was sitting. The mech leaned against the seat, watching the duo chatting about their find. Starscream paid less attention to their talk, remembering that the girl couldn't see him through the tainted glass. He stiffened when imagined Banes assaulting him with tons of questions about him leaving the base without warning. The mech crept to the middle of the seat as Mikaela brought up that topic.

"Have you found Starscream? Thundercracker and Kierra won't stop calling me. Those two are worried sick, Thundercracker mostly," the girl said, her smile fading.

Starscream crawled further away from the window, his processor screaming to him, _'Slag... He won't lie!'_

Nolan clenched his fist and pressed it against the car, hissing through his teeth, "Ugh, where could that dammed 'Con be?! I've searched the entire forest and found nothing!"

Like a statue Starscream was listening to the humans' talk, not daring to switch his gaze from the Audi's driver. Nolan looked serious when he was honestly lying to Mikaela: his calm gaze resembled that of a Commander hearing out a report of a surveillance officer. And when the girl began to list Soundwave's unsuccessful scan results, the guy shook his head in disappointment.

"I don't even know where to look!" Nolan said in a high tone. "He could have already left the forest!"

Mikaela folded her hands, offering, "Check one more time. If the Crack Team's hiding here somewhere, Starscream should be nearby — I hope."

"But Mika!" the guy whined. "It's like five in the morning already! Maybe we should— "

Banes came closer to Nolan's face, looking straight into his eyes. She jabbed a finger into the guy's chest and forced the boy to give up on the innocent smile.

"Nolan, can you at least take _this_ job at full seriousness?" she barked, sending him a death glare. "This isn't hide and seek anymore!"

"Actually, it is," the guy said with a smirk, "but in a bigger playground."

Mikaela facepalmed herself.

"You're impossible," she said, taking a deep sigh. "Anyway, keep searching, and please call me if you see anything. I'll take these guys to the base first, and then I'll join you."

"Sure," was the guy's reply with a wave of his hand.

Starscream watched in silence as the girl left to her Dodge, grumbling something unheard from inside of the car. The Seeker took cover behind the front seat when the lights shone into the Audi's windshield. Out of all things he wanted less was Mikaela discovering him alongside Nolan.

Luckily, the Avenger soon drove away towards the highway and then disappeared behind the trees. Starscream shifted his gaze to Nolan who was buckling up already. He was waiting for the human to start a chat, better to say, to begin explaining his choice, yet the guy was dragging his feet.

"Why have you lied to her?" he started a discussion, getting closer to the driver.

"Thought you had unfinished business to attend here," Nolan answered with a chuckle. "I mean, you were screaming Gallant's name way back at the bus."

"Gallant's not here... I have been tricked," Starscream admitted, crossing his servos. "But that doesn't explain your participation in this. You know what will happen when Banes finds out, and covering me up isn't worth that trouble."

"Heh, I knew you'd say that, but tell ya what: I've got it all planned out the minutest details, so there's nothing to worry about," the driver reassured him. "As for me, you're right. I have a personal agenda: to find one famous Mini-Con and turn him over to one of my — let's say — friends. That Mini-Con works for the Crack Team."

"Gallant?" the Seeker guessed, earning himself a nod. "Why him?"

"Sorry, but my friend doesn't like me telling his secrets to anyone, even to other members of the crew," the guy apologized.

Nolan hit the brakes without warning, letting the car slide along the two lanes till the brakes screeched and the Audi stopped. Starscream pushed himself away from the seat and glanced at the windshield before hiding behind the driver. A column of vehicles was greeting the sedan in the middle of the road, and the group's representative, a red and blue truck, beeped a long, low-pitched car horn. Nolan and Starscream embraced their head as the harsh sound was piercing their ears. As if he had finally noticed the given-up duo, the driver released the button.

"Nolan Jäger, Starscream, come out of the car with your hands up!" the group's leader ordered.

"Autobots? What the heck is with those guys?!" Nolan complained, rubbing his ears. "I thought they were on our side!"

"I believe it's Ironhide's doing," Starscream posed a version. "He caught Kierra and me then delivered us to the Colonel. Gallant must have sent him to trick the Autobots into thinking we are the enemies!"

"Crap, and they've got no idea about your alliance with us as well," Nolan cursed. "Wait a sec, I've got an idea!"

He took out a pair of toxic green goggles from the glove compartment and tossed them to the Decepticon. Starscream cocked his helm to the right in confusion; he was holding the item with the tips of his digits as if Nolan had given him a disgusting organic frog.

"Put those on and get out of the car," the guy instructed, opening the driver's door.

"Are you insane?!" Starscream yelled, bewildered.

"Just do it!"

Hesitant, the Decepticon followed the human's instructions and got out of the vehicle, closing the door as if it were his last ride. He wasn't letting his eyes off the Supreme Commander, whose gaze had fallen on his form like a construction column. The Seeker couldn't leave the car door's side, and even though Nolan was whispering words of encouragement to the mech, he wouldn't move closer until Ratchet's words shocked him till the core of his Spark.

"Are you sure Starscream's here?" the medic's voice came from the crowd. "There's no one besides these two human boys!"

_'Human boys?'_ the Seeker did his best not to say that aloud.

He scratched his helm in hope of finding at least one answer, but the mech still felt the warm metal, not hair or skin under his digits. The absurdity of Ratchet's words sank Starscream into mental stupor. Only after the 'Con touched the goggles on his forehead, he dared to look at the Autobots with a shivering smile.

"Nolan Jäger, we have been informed of your connection to the Decepticon Air Command, Starscream in particular. Our scanners identified your vehicle as the source of his Energy Signature," Optimus Prime spoke. "I'd better you revealed his current location. Starscream could be the Crack Team's double-agent who is sowing conflict between the Autobots and the humans."

Starscream's wings quivered in disgust; **he** working for Gallant? The Seeker found that way too hard to imagine. He had to stretch his shoulders when Ironhide drove closer to the Audi. The 'Con was standing perfectly still even though his instincts were screaming for him to fling the door open and take cover. He thought of even hiding in the boot among the useless junk so that the GMC would leave the mech be.

"Hey, what's the matter? Haven't seen an Autobot before?" the green Corvette said in a mocking way. "Or am I wrong?"

"He hasn't, which is why you two should back off before—" Nolan warned before being interrupted.

"Before what?" the Corvette provoked, laughing at the fuming guy. "You can't be serious about messing with us!"

"Crosshairs, enough!" Optimus ordered. He hit the reverse and cleared the way to the forest, adding, "It has turned out to be a major misunderstanding. Forgive us for wasting your time, Nolan Jäger."

"It's nothing, Optimus Prime," the guy said, averting his gaze to Starscream. "We're out of here, bud."

With a weak nod the Decepticon bolted into the backseat and found shelter under a thick plaid. He heard Nolan slump into the seat and start the engine running. The mech lifted the cover to check on the situation outside, yet lay on the bottom like a submarine when the Audi was passing Crosshairs. A weak shiver went down his spine; he pinned the sheet's edges to the seat and kept hiding until Nolan began tearing it out of the 'Con's digits. Starscream wouldn't release the plaid; he was pulling it toward himself while the guy was tugging it in the opposite direction. The Seeker let go when his claws shredded the material into pieces.

"Ugh, what's the matter with you? You almost gave yourself away!" the guy grumbled, throwing the ripped sheet onto the front seat. "You know that Autobot Crosshairs?"

"N-No," the mech answered in a whisper while still gawking at the floor.

The cooling fans wouldn't follow his commands, no matter how many requests the CPU had sent. Starscream gave a sudden jerk of his helm when he felt the guy place a hand on his forehead then pull away. He regretted doing that harsh action, which caused the ache only to intensify.

"No way, pal, the only way we're going is back to HQ. You're overheating again," the human decided, his voice unusually low.

Starscream raised his helm to meet the human's eyes. He straightened his wings, taking an intimidating pose, and sunk the sharp claws into the seat, roaring to the guy, "I'm not going anywhere without Gallant, human! Take your scrapped toaster and leave! I am **not** returning to the ship without that glitch's helm in my grasp!"

What Nolan only did was grin from ear to ear into the 'Con's face

"How dramatic."

The Seeker seized him by the collar of the jacket and pulled the guy to optic-level, puffing hot air into his face.

"Don't play with me, flesh creature. You'll never win," Starscream warned, making three slits in the soft material, "even if you try hard enough."

Nolan broke free from the Decepticon's grasp with that smile still flashing on his face. He pressed a button on the dashboard and spun the wheel to the right, turning into a parking lot. Starscream was eyeing the guy's every action in attempt of finding out his motives. The sedan stopped at the end of the park. Nolan left the vehicle and ran up to a sign three yards away from their position. Curious, the Seeker left the Audi to join the human's side.

"What are you up to?" Starscream asked. "Where are we?"

"In the same good ol' Hoia Baciu Forest, but only in the depths," Nolan answered while trailing along the map with his finger till he found a red dot. "Yep, we're in the right place."

"You haven't answered my first question," the flier reminded with an animalistic growl.

"My friend told me Gallant's base was located in the Oak grove right here."

Nolan pointed at a green triangle inches from the crimson mark. Starscream checked the scale in the corner of the map and calculated the distance between the car park and the grove.

"That would be half a mile away from us," he announced the result with a frown. "We would waste less time on the road if we go by car."

"That's completely out of the question. Crowds visit that grove and people might still be there," Nolan objected. "That's another reason why I gave you those goggles."

"Humph, fine, but we must hurry up. Gallant knows we're here, and he will try everything to slow us down in order to escape."

The human gave Starscream a sidelong, readying another question.

"Enough chatter, boy! We're short of time!" the Decepticon reminded, folding his servos.

With a shout to wait up the human addressed to the mech, who ran across the road. Starscream cared less about Nolan's pleas for him to drop the speed. He was rushing along the path without looking back or stopping for his partner to catch up.

A clear outlook of the sky was coming into view. Starscream got distracted by the orange rays of the sun rising from beneath the hills. The oaks shining in the warm light were reminding him of soldiers standing in a line, awaiting the general's shapes, thick and with bushy branches were resembling the Cybertronian plants he'd seen growing millions of years before the War in the suburbs of Vos. He imagined the native city lay in the background of those shadowed figures. Seekers were circulating in the air, making all sorts of loops: from the easiest ones, like the bell, till the most difficult ones, like the Cobra. For some it meant gaining attention, for others — just for fun.

Starscream imagined himself among those jets, flying past the tallest skyscrapers and through the narrowest of tunnels. In his vision he saw Thundercracker and Skywarp in their original forms waving to gain their leader's attention. For some reason, the jet flew past them without any words. He wanted to be by their side, yet something was still missing. He had left something undone.

"I've not finished my flight yet," he admitted, leaving the duo.

"But you soon will."

Starscream snapped out of his daydream. He looked at the human boy standing by his side with a grappling hook attached to one arm and a miniature version of the Neutron Assault Rifle hanging on another shoulder. The claws brought some memories from Chicago which the Seeker forgot about when Nolan began to speak.

"We've got some unfinished business, you and I. Sometimes I wish to end this and go back home where everyone is waiting for me, but," Nolan paused, taking a deep sigh, "the more often I think about it, the longer it seems to last."

"Agreed," Starscream whispered.

"So let's end it today, now or never," the guy concluded, extending his hand to the Decepticon. "Partners?"

Starscream smiled to himself, letting the goggles slip to his neck. He shook hands with Nolan, but couldn't help not to let out a weak chuckle.

"How undramatic, " he remarked and let go of the guy.

"Heh, well of course! You **are** the ultimate drama king here," Nolan said in a matter-of-fact tone, his arms folded.

The Decepticon, unlike his partner, was already sliding down to the valley's depth, smirking to himself. He heard the human fling abuse at him but never took those words seriously. The thoughts of Vos had brought him new hope and had returned the will of fulfilling his goal: finding Gallant and ending the conflict once and for all.

_'I may not know what Gallant has done to me, but one fact is clear,'_ he thought, drawing a blaster from his subspace_. 'I'm no doubt the real Starscream, and no Mini-Con gets away with trying to prove that wrong.'_

The two had forgotten about everything: Mikaela, Thundercracker, Kierra, and the rest of the team. They had their minds focused on Gallant, on their leader — a Prime who was still on the run. Sometimes Starscream wondered if they were being watched, but Nolan would persuade him that it was his imagination, without implying how right the Decepticon was.

On that same parking lot was awaiting their car with its headlights on. The Audi door's panel opened and a cable emerged from the armor like a snake. It reached a scratch on the bumper of the car. Paint sprayed on the shining bronze paintjob hidden under the grey shell.

"Continuing to monitor the targets," the sedan reported through the radio. "Our Seeker has reached Gallant's underground mine."

::Great job, Pinion. Return to base,:: a male voice came in response. ::They're on their own from now on.::

"Roger. WILCO," Pinion answered. "Pinion out."

* * *

><p><strong>How's Starscream going to find out who he really is? Will he finally comfort Gallant in the mines and get what he has been wishing for so long? Coming up in chapter 17 next Saturday. <strong>

**Reviews are more than appreciated.**


	17. Chapter 17: The Revelation

**I'm very sorry for such slow updates. I'm not quitting on this story no matter what. **

**Anyway, here's chapter 17.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

**The Revelation**

Leaving their vans and hustling to the police cars, almost tripping on their way, the reporters surrounded an inspector who was pushing the cameras away and screaming for the press to scatter. A team of cops separated the curious, yet two kids managed to punch their way through and dashed towards a tarp laid in the middle of the road. One of them was recording the whole thing on a tablet, describing the situation like a news reporter. The boys stopped in their tracks when they reached the middle of the bridge. Three robotic hands were pointing out from under a grey tarp tied to the supporting columns. The boy with the camera tried making another step, but a tough hand snatched the pad out of his grasp.

Kierra hit the pause button and placed her tablet next to Dualor, who kept staring at it as if the video were still playing.

"They're not after Autobots but neutral Transformers," the Mini-Con concluded, averting his gaze to the teen. "If Columbus was first, Tranquility, Boston, New Orleans, and Las Vegas are left."

"One of these four, and we don't even know which!" the girl complained, tapping her foot. "The Crack can strike any city they want!"

"We should think more carefully... Why would they attack Columbus first?" Dualor posed a question. "Could it be the city with the biggest Transformer concentration or maybe the closest location to their base?"

The dinosaur was scratching his chin while coming up with those ideas.

"Another high possibility: they choose random cities to put us off the scent."

"You forgot one fact again, Dualor," Barricade butted in. "With humans hot on our tailpipes, I'm more than sure they'd find a sufficient number of Transformers clustered together in one area without effort, regardless of their underdeveloped communication. All of the listed options are absurd if you rethink them more _carefully_."

Dualor gritted his denta, baring fangs to the dashboard. Kierra pushed him away from the seat and threw her hoodie onto the mech's head. Wary, she smiled at the police officer who was staring at the car with a blank expression. The woman approached the Saleen and knocked on the glass. As soon as Kierra felt Barricade's e-brake shift, she grabbed and hardly pulled it back into its place.

"Are you by any chance Kiana?" the officer asked.

Nodding, Kierra opened the window with a question to ask of her own but then remembered Nolan's words. She was supposed to pretend to be mute. Luckily, the girl just managed to pronounce an unclear "Who" to the woman before shutting her mouth and cracking an awkward smile. As if nothing happened, the officer handed over a wallet wrapped in blue paper.

"I'm inspector Cox. Your friend Nolan Jäger asked to deliver this," she said, showing her police badge to the girl. "You may leave the station now but only under my surveillance."

The teen gulped as the officer went around the car to the driver's door. Kierra still held the brake in her tight grasp. Barricade was pulling the lever in the opposite direction, signaling for the teen to give up on whatever goal she had. He added more force and squeezed the teen's wrist between the panel and the brake tight enough to break loose. All lock pins sunk into a panel, sealing the doors with a single command from the Saleen. Kierra was rubbing the red mark on her wrist while staring at the woman knocking on the door, pulling the handle toward herself with both hands.

Hearing the roars of the car's engines, the inspector released the door. Barricade hit the gas and sped out of the car park into the oncoming lane. Kierra yelped as a taxi was going straight into them. Eyes widened in fear, the driver was beeping to the car, spinning his wheel to avoid collision. The police cruiser veered to the right, scratching against the Toyota's door with his left wing mirror.

"Watch where you're going!" Barricade shouted, annoyed.

He ran a few red lights, making two rights and turning left once, with ear-splitting horns following his each movement. The Saleen was reaching a crosswalk between an outdoor market and a bus parking lot. People scattered, dropping their bags in the middle of the crossing, but an old lady, holding a crutch, had already reached the middle. Her mouth hang open, her teeth fell out and slumped on the ground as she saw the Saleen reaching her. Barricade chuckled at the human's reaction and spun the wheel to the right. He made a sharp turn into a square, knocking all trashcans and signs out of his way.

Kierra grabbed her stomach when the Decepticon sped round the corner of a kiosk into another highway. Barricade drove closer to the bumper of a car ahead and dropped the speed from 40mph to 35mph. Kierra checked the signs they had just passed. She looked at the dashboard, hoping to find a navigator, yet the car didn't seem to have one.

"Why are you going into the center? The police aren't that dumb to lose an ancient car with no driver in the most crowded area!" Kierra commented.

"If you were as _clever_ as you try to portray yourself as, you would notice we've been followed since that pest dared to touch my doors," the Decepticon scoffed. "I'm, in fact, trying to shake them off my tail, or is it something you humans find _unacceptable_?"

Car horns interrupted their chatter. Kierra watched a taxi crash into a curb. Shards of its bumper scattered around the road. The cab was scraping the concrete until it bumped into a traffic sign, knocking it down onto a newsstand. People fled from the racks, dropping magazines as they ran. Two white sedans ran over the papers as they followed the Saleen across the road. Not license plates, rather dragon insignias were giving the cars away. One of the vehicles came close to the cruiser's tailpipe while the second one stayed close behind, beeping to the first driver. Kierra shuddered when she heard something switch on her left. Two guns emerged from beneath the doors' armor plating.

"Barricade, wait — what about keeping a low profile?!" Kierra reminded. "You can kill innocent people!"

Barricade — though he couldn't resist grumbling — withdrew the guns. "So what do you suggest me to do? I'm awaiting _your_ orders! Should I let them _follow_ us?" the driver said sarcastically. "Or shall we give up to our enemy?"

Kierra unlocked the glove compartment, where a plastic box packed into cellophane was resting among the numerous screwdrivers and dusters. She tore and tossed the wrapper on the floor, much to the driver's annoyance, who began mumbling something about the "fleshbag" being a mess. Then he fell silent. The teen was holding a tiny tube that contained a yellow Energon shard with a fading glow.

"I say we let them follow us," Kierra suggested while staring at the Synth En. "They want this little thingy, so let those Terrorcons try have it if they have the guts."

But the Terrorcons weren't posing a threat as great as the trio thought. The Crack Team still possessed a card up its sleeve and pretty soon the "vanished" members of the human triad's group had become convinced enough to prove that.

Nolan cleaned some dirt from a tank's hood in attempt to read the white letters beneath the grime. The armor felt quite warm, meaning the vehicle had been used just recently, but the thick layer of dust was telling him the complete opposite. His fingers were sinking into shallow dents and scratches. Nolan flinched as Starscream slapped his hand.

"Keep your hands off the tech! I'm receiving Energy signatures from these tanks," the Seeker reported while still holding the boy by the wrist. "Who knows what Gallant keeps in this basement, so don't touch anything!"

"Well, I'm still alive," Nolan said, escaping his grasp. "Besides, we have nothing to worry about: they're inactive anyway, so you can kick them _if_ you want to."

"What makes you so sure?" Starscream questioned, cocking an optic ridge.

The guy showed a phone to the mech with a histogram currently active. Three differently colored columns, which were the tallest, were glowing in the middle. Nolan muffed a chuckle at the sight of his ally leaning closer to the screen. The Seeker pointed at a small icon in the corner of the display that stood for the signal strength. Three vertical bars out of five were flaring in green. Nolan frowned when the device suddenly began beeping, and short texts in Neocybex were popping out in yellow tables that began scrolling down like numbers in a command line until a single word replaced them.

"We're not that far from Gallant's Synth En reserves. Care to investigate?" the guy asked, placing the scanner into his pocket.

"Where's Energon, there's Gallant," Starscream pointed out, drawing his gun. "Try not to get me into trouble."

Nolan chuckled at the Decepticon's statement. They headed towards the passage right in the corner of the room with Starscream in the lead. A weird feeling, however, was bugging the guy. He concentrated on their way of entering the secret base. The word "secret" itself was forcing him to slacken his pace and even stop to rethink of how they'd discovered the enemy's HQ.

_'This is __**way**__ too easy. Why aren't there any guards or security drones? Why hide an active Terrorcon in stasis lock right at the entrance to the base? Since when a paver is the best idea for an entrance cover?' _Nolan pondered. _'It simply doesn't add up... What could possibly be the purpose?'_

His musings had ended on that thought.

_'Crap, it's a trap,'_ he realized. "Uh, what?"

The rifle had almost slipped out of his grip. He couldn't find Starscream anywhere nearby. Only a dead end was keeping him company.

"Damn, why does it always have to happen at **this** time?" Nolan groaned, clenching his teeth. "How could I have lost him?"

"Welp, maybe we could help you with finding your **bodyguard**."

Nolan spun on his heel; two Mini-Cons, black and white, were aiming their weapons at the human. Their faces were hidden under battle plates. The darker minion made a step closer to the guy but was rewarded with a neutron bullet almost into his toes. That, however, didn't seem to be intimidating enough for him. He kept going toward the human with his gun directed at the guy's chest. Nolan was backing away into the corner, staring at the glittering in faint white outlines mechs. Bright rays were illuminating their frames. Nolan flicked off the safety and shot the projectors on the ceiling. He braced himself for the metal shards and glass showering down on his head. Electric sparks were now crackling overhead; low humming of machines filled the air, or was it his imagination playing tricks again?

He stayed still for a short while, listening to the relentless howling. It reminded him of moving gears trying to break free from a bind. A short pause followed the echo. The noise returned only a few seconds later. All of that was happening somewhere behind the guy's back.

"There must be a factory close by," Nolan concluded, turning to face the wall. "What if **this** is another hologram?"

A weak knock on the panel provided the human with the answer. That object wasn't a projection after all, and the weak sound it made when being hit several times in a row forced the plans to change drastically.

_'A fake wall... Gallant wanted to separate us, and he got what he's been wishing for,'_ the guy realized, rubbing his face with a free hand. _'I better catch up with Starscream. Hmm...'_

Nolan headed towards the door Starscream and he had chosen in the first place. There didn't seem to be any other entrances in the room besides the laundry chute above the tank. He didn't notice that detail when entered the base due to its smoky black color. An adult could easily fit in there, which sounded quite odd unless it had a different purpose. However, in order to reach it, you'd need a five-feet-long ladder just to open the hatch.

"Good thing I brought my grappling hook," Nolan said, running up to the vehicle. "This chute's my last hope."

He placed one foot on the tank's threads and hauled himself up, catching the track cover. With another push the human put his right foot on the flat surface first, then the left. He ran to the gun turret and climbed on top of it to get closer to the hatch.

"Here goes nothing," the guy said in a hoarse whisper.

Nolan took the rifle off his shoulder and aimed it at the chute's corners, where the bolts were pointing out. Strike one: the door stayed in its place; strike two: one part of the iron leaf quivered. Only on the third strike it fell onto the engine cover while one rivet stayed in place. Despite that, another blockade was now facing the guy — a grit with thick bars.

"What the hell?!" the guy cursed, grasping his rifle.

One roadblock after another — something both his teammates and he were facing at that moment. Even though Kierra, Barricade, and Dualor did have ways of evading the Suzukis' harsh maneuvers, their pursuers were always coming up with moves more unpredictable than before. And now, with one more sedan having joined the chase, they were surrounding the Saleen from the left, the right, and the front. Dualor was beginning to panic like a cornered, stray dog.

"They're going to catch us! Go faster, go faster!" the Mini-Con urged, clutching the driver's headrest.

"Keep him quiet, or I'll reduce him to a whimpering baby!" Barricade warned Kierra. "These Terrorcons shall regret getting in my way!"

The shift-stick bent down to the maximum angle. Kierra clasped the seat as the car charged forward and ploughed into the front Suzuki's bumper. The Terrorcon jammed on the brakes, but with the police cruiser still stuck to his rear, he was now pulling off the road. Several taxis raced to the opposing lane, then into a park, letting Barricade pass.

The Suzuki made two short horns in a row, which were followed by a second-long silence, and played the same "melody" again. However, its beeping ended when the Saleen dropped his speed and then rammed the car with all his strength, knocking the enemy flying into the left. Kierra shut her eyes as the Terrorcon was sent under the wheels of a semi-trailer truck. The vehicle released its last horn before the grinding of brakes silenced it.

Kierra wiped her face and looked into the wing mirrors. A driver got out of his ride and approached the squashed car under his truck's wheels.

"Barricade: 1. Terrorcons: 0!" the Decepticon said in triumph. "Afraid now, **suckers**?"

"Look!" Dualor said in the back. "They're retreating!"

Indeed, the pursuers made a sharp C-turn on the left lane and were now leaving. They were doing the same weird beeping from before only in a more high-pitched version. Soon the twosome disappeared behind the corner of a bank.

"I don't get those Terrorcons. They come for the Energon sample we have and then just leave empty-handed!" Dualor exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air.

"It must have been something else," Barricade guessed. "And if we want to stay on the road in one piece, we should figure it put as soon as possible. They **are** returning after whatever their target is with reinforcements."

_'If they're not following us to steal Energon, there must be only one reason,'_ Kierra thought, gulping nervously. _'They're after me.'_

"I suggest we change course to the shipyard. There are some unused hangars where we could lay low for a short while," the driver offered.

"Fine, lead the way," the girl said, looking at the steering wheel. _'Ugh, if I don't tell them, we're all scrapped. If I let the secret out, I'll break my promise to Nexus Prime!'_

::Soundwave to Barricade. Barricade, do you copy?::

"Barricade here. What is it?"

::Major Dark Energon activity detected very close to your position. Level: 500 millisieverts,:: Soundwave informed the group. ::Have you noticed any unusual phenomena?::

"Besides the Terrorcons hunting us down, none. My scanners aren't picking anything up," the Saleen reported. "I don't see why we can't get some backup. This could help monitor the city more effectively."

::There is **no** backup available for the job. Catilla cannot be sent due to the lack of transport and the sustained damage from the skirmish in Chicago,:: the technician denied. ::Thundercracker is not suitable as well.::

As the Seeker's name sounded in the car, Kierra detached a microphone from the radio set. "Soundwave, this is Kierra. Have you found Starscream?" she asked.

The surveillance officer hadn't replied right away. She was waiting for him to answer, yet the Decepticon seemed to be in search of an answer. They heard digits drumming against a hard surface and the hum of the central computer. Soundwave's silence was starting to unnerve the girl.

"Is something wrong?" the girl questioned, gripping the microphone.

::Negative. The scanners aren't picking up any signals. Nolan's gadget's signature has just been lost. I cannot contact him::

"Wait, what?!" Dualor screeched in the back. "He's supposed to be at the police station!"

::Mikaela was in need of assistance in the search. Nolan warped from the station to the base and left. He said that he had left a message for you,:: Soundwave claimed. :: You should have received the paper.::

Kierra returned the microphone to its place. They were supposed to get a letter, but how? He told them to stay behind on the parking lot and never came back after the trio had waited for three or more hours. The sun was setting already, and they had earned some information only late in the evening.

The wallet — she had completely forgotten about it.

As the driver bid farewell to their ally, Kierra began searching her hoodie pockets for the wallet. She searched everywhere, but it didn't seem to be in the car. The girl bent down and looked under the seat. The blue bag was lying between a toxic green vest — why did Barricade have those in the first place? — and a shelf. Kierra thrust her hand under the seat and tried to seize the paper with two fingers. One attempt had gone on after another, yet she still couldn't reach it.

All of a sudden, the shelf slid forward right into her palm. Kierra flinched and withdrew the hand as if the plastic were a flame, much to the Decepticon's amusement. The teen couldn't get why he was shaking with laughter until she saw a cable emerge from under the rug and pull the item out. Barricade tossed the wallet onto her knees, retracting the wire afterwards.

"Thanks..." Kierra said, squeezing the bag in awkwardness.

The driver said nothing and continued on with the driving, turning into an empty street. Kierra tore a rubber band off the bag and unwrapped the "present". She opened it up and a paper fell out. Whether the guy tore it out of an ancient notebook or the sheet fell into a coffee mug, the girl had no idea. Small letters written in black ink mixed in with the brown background in a message impossible to read without a magnifying glass. Only when Kierra turned one of the lamps on she was able to make out more than a half of the note.

_Guys, I've gone on the... Mikaela can't find Starscream al—. Don't be mad at me. I — do this on purpose._

—_way, go to the shipyard and —ch it through... There should be — Mazda — hid— in one of the... Find it! And don't ask wh— I got this — from!_

"What does it say, Kierra?" Dualor questioned, leaning closer to the teen.

Kierra compressed the letter into a roll and put it into her hoodie pocket.

"We're going after a Mazda. It should be somewhere in the shipyard," she said in a low voice.

The teen felt Dualor's clawed servo pet her shoulder. Their faces met — optic to eye — as Kierra turned to the Mini-Con. The Mini-Con was staring at her, his smile fading.

"Is something wrong?" the mech asked.

"No, everything's a-okay, Dualor," Kierra said with a grin. _'I hope we haven't made a mistake in sending Starscream to Micronus Prime, Nexus Prime. What if that psycho regains control over him?'_

* * *

><p>He reached out to grab a hollow in a wall to his left. The guy seized the metal and pressed his foot against a smaller vent grit next to his right knee. Shuddering under the human's weight, it made a pitched whine. His sneaker was slipping off the grate, the bolts of which burst out from its corners.<p>

"Frag!" Nolan cursed as the grit detached and fell down the vent, bouncing off the obstacles like a rubber ball.

The guy swallowed his nervousness when he looked down. Even though light was becoming more and more faint as he climbed deeper into the ventilation shaft, the entrance was still visible ten feet below. Nolan looked up — the vent led to an open space where a huge exhaust fan was whipping up a wind that was lashing the guy's face. The contraction had six blades forming a triangle and two red "eyes" shining in its center.

"A camera built into a fan — seriously?" the guy moaned, hauling himself up on the highest bar. "Gallant's no pushover when it comes to security."

::Alert! Alert! Intruders in Sector Five! Order: capture!::

Nolan's jaw dropped as four of the fan's blades moved and bent backwards, resembling now the letter "X". The bearing with the two crimson lights moved forward while the remaining blades extended, broke into two, and finally rolled into a horizontal position. A pteranodon head slid onto the bearing like a hood, and a pair of purple optics lit up.

_'Is __**that**__ a Terrorcon?!'_ Nolan wondered, not letting his eyes off the creature. _'Gallant's lost his mind completely! This thing's hideous!'_

The Terrorcon's head spun to the right, to the left; it emitted a loud shriek that of a bat colony that continued on for at least thirty seconds. Hands sweaty, Nolan shut his eyes and clenched his teeth in resistance to the shrill noise.

'_Will you ever leave?'_ he wished, opening one eye.

As if the creature had heard his wish, it flapped its four wings and headed deeper into the vent, disappearing into the dark.

"Thank Pri—" Nolan made an abrupt pause. "Damn you, Dead End. I'm starting to speak Decepticon. Hope I won't be beeping like a dial-up modem because of you!"

He looked at tunnel where the Terrorcon used to be. Millions of grits were decorating the walls both to the right and the left from the tube while there were steel bars blocking the entrances to the majority of them. Unsure which one to choose, the guy took his phone out of the pocket. The app he tapped on opened up as a blue dialogue box with his current coordinates flashing in the upper left-hand corner of the screen.

_'Never thought your navigator would be useful, Soundwave,' _ Nolan admitted, tapping several codes on the virtual keyboard. _'Hmm... Five out of 2567 chutes lead to some dead ends while three chutes connected with four of those are giving off energy signatures. This leaves me with number 1583 — and where is that?'_

The scanner's arrow was pointing at the top corner grate, which was almost connected to the ceiling. With no obstacles in the road, Nolan raised the grappling hook on his arm and fired at the target. When the claws attached to the bars, he pulled the rope toward himself. The grit slid off smoothly. He detached the wire from its nest, and a new hook took the former's place.

_'Still, this whole thing's so unrealistic. Gallant must be either toying with us or this isn't the Crack Team's base, or it's a bit of both,'_ the guy pondered, attaching another pair of claws to the vent. _'All I know is that he's no idiot.'_

He swung forward and pressed his feet against the wall. Soon the guy found himself climbing into the chute. He turned the flashlight in his phone on but dimmed it a bit, letting the light reach only the objects four feet away, yet it didn't matter that much. Glints of fire up ahead gained the guy's attention. They would grow fainter but instantly regain their primary color; they would dance, move to each side, but then the flames would stand still like soldiers. It meant only one thing — there could be an open area close to the surface, and the guy was now crawling to it, holding up the light close to eye-level.

In the end, the fire indeed was coming from a candle placed on a thousand-year old desk, judging by the clumps of dust rolling about. Nolan noticed gigantic bookcases rowing up a bit father from the barocco-designed table. Hundreds of books could be kept on one of them while there seemed to be a lot more artefacts in Gallant's library, as tons of manuscripts — both old and new, judging by the yellowish color of the paper — were pointing out of the second case on the left. All of that treasure was begging to be released from the evil dust bunnies having curled around the delicate books.

But not for long.

_'There's no room I can't break into, especially a jackpot like this one,'_ Nolan thought, grinning to himself.

The tip of the grappling hook straightened into a cone with a flat tip that of a screwdriver that began to spin. Nolan unscrewed the three pins and slowly removed the grit, placing it against the wall. He peeked into the room before crawling out of the tunnel. Nolan hissed as his trouser leg got caught in something that was pinning the garment to the desk.

_'A lab stand... Not the worst encounter in this hell,'_ he thought, removing the hook, _'compared with the dinofan.'_

The coast was clear — no patrol, Terrorcon soldiers or maintenance bots seemed to be around. The room itself looked a lot taller than the guy thought in the first place. Either some other Transformers were working in the library or Gallant preferred four storeys high bookcases that connected with the ceiling.

Nolan looked at a chandelier hanging in the center of the room with at least thirty candles the size of a pinkie. Those flames looked rather unusual: they stayed in place, unaffected by the draft blowing across the room, while the middle of the fire was blazing in purple instead of the white.

Distracted by the peculiar source of light, Nolan hadn't really noticed how he reached a round table with a colorful cloth. It was representing thirteen different colors: grey, black, bronze, silver, purple, green, blue, yellow, cyan, white, pink, golden, and red. Those shades had minimal connection between each other; however, having looked more carefully, Nolan found an odd shape in its center — a sun hiding behind four tiny spheres or maybe even planets. The sunrays were all of different length, and each and every one was pointing at a text in ancient Cybertronian, outlined in the representing half's color.

_Bronze for Chaos Edge  
>Green for Chimera Stone<br>Pink for Forge of Solus Prime  
>White for Blades of Time<br>Cyan for Lenses  
>Yellow for Emberstone<em>

And so the list went on in a circle, listing names for an unclear reason. Soon Nolan paused reading on the last three options.

_Red for Requiem Blaster  
>Grey for Legian Darts<br>Black for Triptych Mask_

"The artifacts of the Primes... This isn't a table-cloth but a guide to each weapon's description," Nolan realized, rubbing the soft fabric, "which I must find. Question is: where?"

Then something ticked under his palm. Short clicks followed by the shifting of panels came from a bookcase behind the guy. The Legian Dart sector was glowing in dark grey. Nolan looked up and noticed a book about to fall off a shelf. It was tilting down and down until finally plummeted from a 32-feet height. Cursing under his breath, Nolan leapt forward to catch the flying book but slipped and landed square on his stomach. He grunted as the thick guide slumped onto his back.

"This thing **must** have some value. Otherwise, I'm just wasting precious effort!" the guy said, taking the book off. "Let's see... Huh?"

There was a bookmark between the two first pages. Numerous chemical equations were written on the yellow papyrus, and many of them had formulas of elements that were causing the guy's hair stand on airs in amazement. From three to four lines were filled in by only one equation, and each of the six formulas had a Cyberglyph standing for the human at the end.

Nolan noticed a crossed out sentence above one line. He rubbed the red ink in attempt to see the word, yet the dirt wouldn't come off. The guy spat on the paper and tried again. To his relief, the blot was coming off and soon revealed three words.

"Phase transition: freezing," Nolan read the line and put it in his pocket. "Better give it to Dead End or Soundwave when we get back. As for this book, I'll have to take and read it later."

He rummaged in his jacket pocket and took out a folded into a tube bag, which he unrolled with one swift whip. Nolan detached the belt from his rifle and fastened the two carabiners to the handles both on the top and the bottom of the bag. Placing his find into the new "camp bag", he came near the table again.

_'Sorry, Gallant, but I'm stealing this stuff back,'_ Nolan concluded, tossing the bag on a chair next to him. _'I need these books more than you do.'_

He chose one sector after another. Books were falling from the shelves like leaves from a tree. He caught all of them without making any noise. Soon only the Triptych entry was remaining. Nolan pressed his hand against the black sheet; seconds passed — he waited. At least a minute went gone by, but the bookcase hadn't reacted. The guy repeated the action. Nothing, not even a click.

"Where's that friggin' book?" Nolan muttered, scanning the shelves for his prize. "Don't tell me it's stuck!"

"It's stuck as deep as you're going to be right now."

Nolan slowly turned his head to the right. His grip on the Neutron Rifle tightened — Gallant was reading a book with a black bookmark, flicking through it slowly as if it were some boring magazine.

"I knew you would try breaking in here but stealing my books... You've lost my respect," the scientist said, shutting the book.

"Really, Gallant, what **respect** are you speaking of? There's only one mutual feeling we share: the one called hate between two archenemies," Nolan said, not letting his eyes off the Mini-Con.

"Are we those _archenemies_ we both have sworn to be since** that** day? I believe the concept you've presented is a bit illusive," the knight claimed. He put the book on an empty shelf to his right and pointed at the bookcase behind the guy. "Those historical treasures — how I call them — repose on the conflicts between certain deities, dynasties, kingdoms, and races simultaneously. Some brought victory to one side and destruction to the other. In a different situation, both sides lost too much than gained."

"This has nothing to do with **our** conflict, Gallant," Nolan said in a higher tone. The gun in his hand was trembling with building up rage.

"It does. You don't want to think carefully, Nolan Jäger," the Mini-Con said. "Do you know the history of the seven Primes?"

"Thirteen, Gallant. The Dynasty had seven members while there still were six outsiders," the human corrected. He placed the bag on the table but was still keeping the gun aimed at the mech.

"Do you know **why** those six were considered as **outsiders**?" Gallant posed another question.

"Get to the point," Nolan cut him off. _'Spare me the mysteries for crying out loud!'_

As if having heard the human's inner voice, the knight glared daggers at him, making two steps forward. "The six outsiders are the Liege Maximo, Micronus Prime, Nexus Prime, Onyx Prime, Optimus Prime, and Amalgamous Prime, with Optimus Prime being the one to disappear for lightyears. The ones remaining are still among their kin and follow Prima's leadership. Unfortunately, it doesn't last for too long."

Gallant advanced a bit forward and stopped a yard away from Nolan. "After Prima finds out about the Liege Maximo's operation on planet Earth, he gathers a meeting that under the influence of Megatronus — also known as the Fallen afterwards — transforms into a battle of truth and lies," the Mini-Con retold, making another few steps toward the human. "Five Primes support the Liege Maximo, two are hesitant, and the others are against. Can you guess who those are?"

"Well, uh, the ones supporting could be the remaining outsiders. The ones against could be... Prima, Alchemist, Quintus, Solus, and Vector. As for the neutrals, my bet's on Alpha Trion and Megatronus," the guy faltered out, taken by surprise.

"You're not that far. Prima and Solus Prime cannot bring up their decision," Gallant revealed, applauding the human. "Megatronus and Onyx Prime eventually start an argument which leads to a death match in the Pits. Onyx dies, thus the remaining four Primes flee, promising to plot revenge."

"And now they're the only survivors," Nolan whispered. "Wait, what does that have to do with the present time?"

"It's a power game, human. None of the Primes nowadays can be trusted. I've gained bitter experience just recently, which shows how much they care about everyone besides themselves," Gallant explained. "They might offer a helping hand, but either if you present something in return or can be used as a pawn in their game."

Nolan hadn't noticed how close Gallant had come. They were looking at each other's faces, searching for hints of lying. The guy jumped to a safe three-yard distance and was expecting to see an attacking knight, yet the Mini-Con hadn't even moved an inch. Instead, he shook his head in disappointment.

"You don't trust me, like Colonel Bogdanski did, until my liege murdered him and kept that secret," he said, folding his servos. "I cannot forgive him for that."

"Ha, you should be glad my Liege was in a good mood. Otherwise, you could have become a bone of contention between that treacherous mutt and yourself, little fool."

Nolan redirected his rifle at a green Mini-Con twice as tall as Gallant. Like the guy, the soldier had the rifles mounted into his arms on Gallant's back. Nolan caught a shiver go down the red mech's spine, but the hidden behind a faceplate expression was unreadable.

A chill went through the boy's body as three more soldiers approached their leader. Those two guards he saw as holograms had finally appeared "in the flesh". However, the mech between them was a total shocker for the guy. Starscream, with a machine gun facing the human's head, was growling at Nolan. His optics were glowing in yellowish purple, the same color he'd encountered in the van.

_'So he's the one controlling him!'_ Nolan grasped the idea, clenching his teeth_. 'And he must be the one who has the cure! I have to get it before Starscream tears me apart!'_

"How can I find Nexus Prime, human? Tell me, I've got a word to say for him," the green mech requested. "Unless you want me to set your friend on you, you'll have to speak up."

'_Nexus Prime, eh? Why do you think I know him? Unless…'_ the human wondered.

"He's not the one, Micronus," Gallant claimed, turning his helm to the Mini-Con.

"**Silence**! I wasn't asking you!" the Prime interrupted. "Well, Jones, where's your _sponsor_ hiding?"

_'Jones — I could use that,'_ Nolan thought. "I offer a trade. Care to hear me out?"

Micronus cocked an optic ridge, obviously intrigued. He withdrew the rifles and raised his right servo into the air, ordering the soldiers to come to a halt. "Speak," the Prime ordered.

"You give me the cure for the virus you planted, and I'll tell you where he is," Nolan offered. "How about it?"

"You're an idiot," Gallant said. He spat the word like a curse.

The soldiers altered their aim from the knight to Nolan. Micronus' battle pistol's sights were on the guy's forehead. With a click the Mini-Con fired a laser at the guy, who hunkered down to avoid the shot. The black soldier, however, anticipated that move. He shot the floor under the human's feet, sending him tumbling down on his backside. Smirking to himself, the white shooter directed his blaster at Nolan's head. He pulled the trigger yet never fired. Gallant opened fire on the trooper's shoulder, forcing him to back away. Holding up a thin black stick, the knight activated a transparent barrier, shielding both the human and himself.

"You're hiding behind force fields like always," Micronus scoffed. "I knew you'd team up with the humans someday. Your loyalty to that swindler Colonel had always been worrying me the most."

"You should worry about your leader instead, Micronus. There's more to him than meets the eye," the knight declared. "The Liege Maximo is **not **Onyx Prime — he's a deceit who's using us in his mercenary motives!"

While keeping the shield close to his chest, Gallant took a move forward to his Commander, stretching an arm to calm the shaking Mini-Con. Even the Prime's own soldiers, besides Starscream, retreated behind a bookcase, watching their trembling leader. His guns once again on the knight's shield, Micronus roared at Gallant and opened fire on the barrier.

"The promise about returning Onyx is a lie. None of the Spark chambers we found are suitable for his new frame! How can't you realize that?!" the scientist shouted.

His words were the last little things to set off the bomb.

"**Silence! I do not wish to hear you talk trash about my brother**!" the Prime screamed at the top of his vocalizers. "Crosswise, Rook, and you, Starscream, get rid of them! I want no prisoners!"

"Sure, Boss, no problemo," Crosswise, the white Mini-Con, said with a salute.

The three mechs charged at Gallant at full speed, firing lasers and bullets at the shield. Crosswise grabbed the edge of the barrier, but the knight knocked him off with a knuckle punch right into his face. Rook attacked from behind and stole the generator, letting Starscream strike the enemy head on with his claw blades. Gallant unsheathed his sword handles that extended into twin blades, and blocked the attack with one weapon.

"Wanna' repeat that punch?" Crosswise teased. He was about to slam his fist into the mech's head, but the knight raised the right blade, letting it cut through his fist. "Yeeow!" the white Mini-Con shrieked and jumped away from the enemy. Energon was streaming from the sliced into two digit. The mech was rubbing it, whining like a child.

"Crosswise, you're a walking pile of bad luck," Rook's voice echoed in the room. "There's the three of us, and you can't strike a helpless geek."

"You lost to Starscream once, so does that make us even?" his partner said with a snicker.

"It doesn't, and get on with the job!" the Mini-Con barked, annoyed.

While the two brothers were arguing, Starscream had already squeezed Gallant between a bookcase and himself. The knight had a blade pointing into the Seeker's abdomen, yet the other didn't seem to register that fact. He was still prodding the claw blades at the mech's throat as if trying to threaten him.

_'I can't hurt Starscream, but Gallant's the only ally I have right now. If they kill him, they'll come after me!'_ Nolan mused, hiding behind a bookcase. _'Then I'll never get Starscream back to reality.'_

The Mini-Con brothers had already surrounded their target. Nolan placed the Neutron Rifle's barrel on a shelf and pulled the trigger. Crosswise froze as dozens of metal shard penetrated his back armor, leaving nothing but deep cuts and scratches. The weapon was trembling under the human's grasp when he ceased fire. His target released a faint moan before falling limp to the floor. Using Rook's surprised state, Gallant jabbed the blade into his arm and punched Starscream into the face, forcing the flier to withdraw. Nolan fired at Rook's feet,bringin the mech down next to his brother.

Starscream was the only one remaining on feet. Nolan left his hiding spot and headed towards the Seeker at a slow pace. The flier had his machine gun aimed at Gallant. He didn't seem to notice the human at all.

"Gallant, _you_ planted that virus. How do you deactivate it?" Nolan asked, taking a step closer to the Decepticon. "I don't think slapping him will help like last time!"

"Unlike the other Decepticons I've been working on, this clone _comes_ with that programming. It's a part of him, so there's nothing I can do to erase it," Gallant explained, "But—"

"Wait, what do you mean by 'clone'?! He's the real deal!" Nolan exclaimed, almost dropping his gun in shock. "Dead End's CNA test proved positive — he's not a Terrorcon or a duplicate!"

Gallant didn't answer. He was staring at the floor, his fists hidden behind his back, as if he were hiding his guilt. Nolan averted his gaze to his partner in crime. For some reason he'd stopped in place. His optics were flickering in purple and blue. All of a sudden, he fell on one knee and grabbed his helm, groaning in pain. Nolan ran up to the Seeker and hunkered down to meet his optics.

"Starscream, you there? Hey, do you hear me?" Nolan asked, placing a hand on the 'Con's shoulder. "Come on, 'Con, fight it!"

The Decepticon let out a low hiss followed by a muffed groan. His optic color finally changed to blue, and he looked up at Nolan, cocking his helm to the right.

"What... What's going on?" he asked in a stutter. "Wait, where are Micronus Prime and Gallant?!"

Nolan got to his feet and pointed at the knight in question. Starscream's wings jolted up; the machine gun's barrel spun. Bullet shells showered on the ground. He jumped to his pedes and directed the weapon at the knight, but Nolan slapped the mech's arm.

"He's on our side, 'Scream. Put down the gun," the guy said, forcefully lowering the Decepticon's servo.

Starscream was gawking at Nolan as if his partner were Megatron himself. "**What**?! Are you out of your mind?!" he screamed, clawing the guy's jacket.

"Have I lied to you once?" the human almost yelled at his partner. He tore the fabric out of the mech's tight grip. Three holes were left as a result.

"Where's Micronus?" Starscream immediately changed the topic.

Gallant pointed at a giant door in the back of the library. "That way," he directed, avoiding the Decepticon's glare.

Like a rough twister the Seeker stormed past the human and disappeared behind the door, slamming it shut behind himself. Nolan's new ally joined his side, yet the guy still had his own doubts, and one of them had just escaped his sight.

"Gallant, why do you think he's a clone?" Nolan brought up the question. "He can't really be like the one that attacked Dead End on the factory way back then. Dead still has that gash on his armor."

"Dead End destroyed the real one, Jäger. Perhaps _this_ clone's programming has developed further than the others', but this doesn't make him the Decepticon we speak of."

Nolan 's head dropped.

_'Damn, how am I going to tell Starscream __**this**__?'_

* * *

><p><strong>How's Nolan going to find a way out of THAT situation? Who's awaiting Kierra and Barricade at the shipyard? Coming up in chapter 18!<strong>

**To avoid confusion: I'm aware of what is said about the Liege Maximo's origins in the previous chapter. It's not an error.**

**Feel free to tell me what you think of this chapter. **


	18. Chapter 18: The Legionaries

**Chapter 18**

**The Legionaries**

Nolan took aim at Gallant while looking at Dead End driving in circles around a windmill. The Decepticon switched to robot mode and caressed the claw mark on his right arm plate. White fuel was escaping through the wound; the mech was trying to stop it, but the more he touched the wound, the louder he hissed on contact. The human detected a flicker of rage in the mech's optics before a missile launcher replaced his covered in shallow scratches servo. Hope, something the human felt when he saw the weapon, since the monstrosity that mech faced wouldn't be that easy to defeat. But he'd miscalculated a bit. _He _was the target!

Dead End glared daggers at the boy. Dropping his gun, Nolan took cover behind a jeep. He snuck a peek from behind the vehicle. Roaring, the Decepticon didn't know where to aim the cannon. He aimed it at the car, the farmhouse, the barn, even at Gallant, but never fired. That guy was perplexed to the core. Having regained his confidence, Nolan rose to his feet to gain the 'Con's attention and possibly calm him down, yet he took cover when _it _returned.

Jet engines whistled above his head as the F-22 was diving from the clouds. The fighter bombarded the sails above its target. An ear-splitting hum came from the wood; the blades froze in place. Nolan yelped as the wheel disconnected from its base and plummeted on top of the red mech. Rifles took the machine guns' position as the jet whirled round the pile of wood. A blink of orange came from under the junk; then a barrage of missiles sang out, heading straight into the Raptor's tail. He soared high into the clouds, disappearing into the grey vapor, with the hunting "dogs" still chasing him.

They returned seconds later, already speeding above ground. Nolan gasped as one missile caught the jet's tail, making it lose balance and hit the ground with its nose. The Raptor was now sliding along the road, with the weapons, machine and ray guns, shattering under the pressure. Its left wing banged into a barn and crumpled like cardboard. Flames instantly enveloped the building, creating a smokescreen around the aircraft. The fire moved to the roof before the wall crumbled, the wooden fragments showering on top of the plane.

Coughing, the human rushed towards another truck where the sickening odor of burnt oil won't get him. There he met his "savior" who was more than_ grateful _to see pointy lower jaw hung low when he roared at the human, coming closer to the vehicle. He bent down to snatch his prey from the ground only for the guy to jump away.

"Whoz. Are. Youzz?" Dead End questioned. His voice was very distorted, unclear, and a bit slow. There were background noises and creaking in it, as if it wasn't him, rather someone else speaking through an ancient walkie-talkie on another line.

"The name's Nolan, but that's not as important as an escaping Mini-Con," Nolan pointed out.

Gallant disappeared behind the corner of the farthest hangar on the farm. Dead End let out a high-pitched screech, stomping the ground in anger till the lying truck got in the way. The Decepticon kicked the car with all the might and sent it flying into a crane seventy feet away.

"Hey, big guy, maybe we could solve this a bit _more_ peacefully?" Nolan offered, smiling at the mech. "Like—"

Dead End looked down at the human. His knee jointed whistled as he bent down to the guy. "**We**? There. Iz. No. **We**!" he barked, slamming his foot against the ground.

"Listen, it's not my fault those guys are trying to kill you! Don't put the blame on me!" the guy hollered out, snarling at the mech. "Instead of wasting time, we could think where to hide that thing, because if we don't, there'll be an uproar!"

Nolan yelped when he felt something pull him up by the rain coat. Thrashing and cursing at the goon wasn't working; a single shake forced the guy to forget about his escape attempts. Dead End was hissing at him but neither tried to drop or hurt him.

The fresh injuries, however, had let the mech know of their presence much earlier: the hand he kept the boy in began trembling wildly. Nolan felt the mech's hold loosen on his coat. Dead End's claws tore through the fabric. All of a sudden, he swayed forward, with the wounded arm going down first. The guy's hair stood on airs as the distance between the pavement and him was becoming shorter and shorter. Nolan braced himself for impact, hiding his head in his crossed arms. A grating noise was all he heard before a huge pain went through his elbows. Yet he felt nothing more. The movement had finally stopped. He was still hanging upside down but only with his arms rubbing against the ground.

"You... Have a. Pointzz..."

Arms unfolded, Nolan looked up to meet the mech face to face. He couldn't get how he was still alive at first, but then the same creaking sounded; it had come from the Decepticon's knee pressed against the ground, and judging by the way Dead End was shifting its position, the joint couldn't support the mech for too long.

"Listen, Dead End, I know one mechanic who lives about two hundred miles from here, but I'm sure she might be able to repair some damage. I could drive you to her place," Nolan said, crawling down to the solid ground. "Can you transform?"

"I... I don't. Know," the Decepticon answered in a hoarse whisper. "I can. Try."

Reaching a fair distance from the mech, Nolan waited for him to switch forms. Dead End rose to his pedes, with that pitched screech following his every movement. Within a split second the 'Con transformed into a flashy red supercar. Twin wing mirrors were fixed on top of the window frame; they were quite flattened, resembling a pair of deer ears. Its glass' shape was reminding him of a fighter jet's cockpit. Eye-catching as it could ever be, the guy didn't know what to think of its headlights. Whether it was the truth about the car's specific origins and alignment that had triggered a fear of the vehicle's headlights, or they in fact did have that sinister look due to their slender shape.

_'Geez, Mikaela's going to blame __**me**__ for killing such a stunning car,'_ Nolan mused. _'Ugh, get to the point, Nolan! Convincing her to fix a Decepticon goes first then everything else!'_

"Nolan... Hurry," Dead End pleaded. His voice was less distorted this time, yet the weak hissing he made was still forcing a shiver run down the human's spine. "You will. Have to. Drive. Instead of me. I am losing. Power."

Nodding, the guy ran up to Decepticon, whose car door flung up into a vertical position. Soon he found himself driving out of the factory's territory towards the country road. Nolan looked into the wing mirror. The crashed jet's tail was still flashing in the sun, but then it disappeared behind the tall concrete fence.

At least a month had passed since that incident, yet the guy felt like it had been a year he'd known the Decepticon for. That, however, wasn't the reason why he had remembered that encounter. The jet they'd left behind, it held the answer to the question of Starscream's identity. No matter what theories Gallant had just tried to prove to him, Nolan didn't know whether he should believe the scientist or admit the bitter truth. Unfortunately, he had to complete the task anyhow, which meant only one thing:

Telling Starscream the news.

_'Damn, how am I going to tell him this? If the news about Cybertron had made me his number one enemy for two days, what'll happen if I claim he's not Starscream?'_ Nolan pondered, gnashing his teeth. _'Ugh, I pray you're wrong, Gallant!'_

"Nolan, make a turn," Gallant gave a hint. "The launch platform is the last place I received Cron's signature from. Starscream must have already reached it, according to my calculations."

They ran into a wide hallway and found no guards or sentinels. No cameras or any means of security had crossed the duo's road at all.

"Why's the base so empty? I thought this was your HQ," the guy said, staring at the Mini-Con. "Or is it a mine where you get Dark Energon from and convert it into Synth En?"

"It makes me wonder where you have got this information from. This place used to be what you humans call a garage. Instead of cars we refueled Terrorcons, fixed any damage dealt in battle or while travelling, and sometimes neutralized system glitches. However, unidentified spies discovered our base, so Micronus had eventually come to a decision on moving this _garage_ to another location, " Gallant explained. "That is why no guards besides Rook and Crosswise are stationed here at this moment. Dead End cannot be so naïve to believe we would keep a base in a famous place as such."

Even if the scientist wasn't a mech worth the guy's trust, his clarification really did make sense, unless he was very skillfully leading the human down the garden path. Nolan's pace became slower and slower as he gave ear to the shuffling behind their backs. With every halt made the noise would vanish but then reappear and become even more intense. Annoyed, Nolan came to a grinding halt and spun around. Though he was barely standing on his right foot, Rook was aiming a blaster at Gallant's chest while Crosswise, unlike his brother, was hopping like a boxer.

"You didn't really think we'd be beaten so easily?" the white Mini-Con shouted out.

"Oh, come on, we don't have time for you two!" Nolan whined, drawing his rifle. "We beat you once and **can** do that again."

"You shouldn't provoke them, Jäger," Gallant warned in a whisper. "Cron chose them as his right-hand men for a reason."

"Puh-lease, these two are a joke!" the guy claimed.

That, however, didn't seem convincing enough for the knight. With his optic ridge raised, Gallant tilted his helm towards the Mini-Cons, and the human did the same. Now he met a single robot twice as tall as Rook with not such an original color scheme. Black was the shade of his torso, arms, and helmet while white was split by black stripes on his feet. He looked like a vampire with red optics lighting up his pale face.

"I dare you repeat that line," the robot taunted in Rook's voice. His servo formed a curios weapon with a short barrel that instantly began gathering energy.

With his Neutron Assault Rifle under his armpit the guy stepped on the battlefield; he cracked a smile. "Fine. **You're** **a joke**."

But then Gallant seized him by the shoulder. "Hold your tongue, human! Mirror is _not_ the mech you want on his dark side!"

"Go after Starscream, Gallant. I'll take this guy on," Nolan said, breaking loose. "Micronus may have some more bodyguards, so our runaway might need some backup."

The knight's optic twitched. He had been staring at the boy for a mid-second before a purple visor shadowed his strict glare. Gallant directed his steps down the hallway, but Nolan never looked which road the knight had chosen. He jumped out of the way as Mirror fired a jet of water at him, turning that space into a solid block of ice. Odd, the human was one hundred per cent sure the cannon was supposed to fire plasma charges, not some frozen liquid.

Nolan put three bullets into the mech's right side, expecting the mech to withdraw. It was the part of his plan to wound the enemy seriously enough before running in pursuit of his ally. At first it seemed like he'd reached that goal — Mirror got to one knee, taking hold of his side. The next thing he knew, the Mini-Con had his optics on the human. That way he leered at him, it was screaming one fact to the human — Mirror faked the injury to leave his move unnoticed. Nolan grabbed hold of his wrist as a cold surge went through his entire arm. His rifle dropped to the floor with a ringing sound with yellow dust enveloping its barrel. Energon crystals were growing out of the weapon, enveloping it to the point beyond recognition.

Mirror strutted to the human's side, kicking the crystallized weapon out of his reach. He snickered at his enemy's current state; the boy was the one _bowing _to him now."This small Synth Dark En dose is enough to shut a disobedient Terrorcon down. Fortunately for you, I've tested it on organic creatures as well, and tell you what," Mirror said, bending down to the human, "it lets you suffer for extremely long periods of time, especially if you have an En-seal like those two boys working for the Shifters. Oh, wait, don't ask, they lasted for three hours only. What a shame."

"You underestimate me as much as I did you, but in the end, I'll be the one giving warnings," Nolan promised.

The grappling held close to his chest, he fired the claws' needle into the mech's shoulder, letting it pass right through the Mini-Con's armor. An electric shock surged through the mech's frame, yet it didn't seem enough. Mirror wouldn't fall; he even jeered at the guy and tried grabbing the cable. That was the biggest mistake he could make. Mirror's optics flickered twice as he got a discharge twice as powerful; white smoke was now escaping from all of his joints. The Mini-Con pitched forward, then a bit backwards, before losing balance completely and falling on his back.

"Maybe strong, just maybe, but as dumb as a sack of hammers," Nolan spat, disconnecting the wire from the base. He didn't know how much time he'd wasted battling the bothersome mech, yet one thing was definite.

He was late.

Rubbing the scratched skin, he tried advancing forward, but the pain wouldn't die down; plus when the guy moved his feet, the ache would only intensify. "Ugh, that dammed Dark Energon!"

_"Like your ally, you sometimes need… a helping hand."_

Sparks were flying around him like fireflies searching for a place to land. He felt a sword handle being placed into his injured arm that, to the human's surprise, had finally stopped hurting. The flashes were now "building" a blade which met its beginning in the silver handle and the ending scratching against the floor. Nolan raised the new weapon into the sky, watching the crimson energy burn through the thick "veins" on the blade.

Unlike the sword, its owner hadn't made any stunning appearance. Scanning the corridor with his eyes for any bulk —as the Mini-Cons referred to the tall Transformers— or Mini-Con, Nolan couldn't find hints who had actually entrusted him with the blade. He had to forget about that matter soon enough: snarls were coming from a hallway to his right. Four Ravage drones turned round the corner and came to an abrupt stop, eyeing the human from afar. Their tails harling along the ground, the hunters were sneaking up to the target until Nolan rapped on floor.

"Let's see if this sword's up for the task …" he trailed off, lowering the weapon.

Taking a better hold of the sword, the guy brandished the blade clumsily like a hammer, severing the dogs' frames into two. One drone sprang into the air and extended its claws, about dig into the human's chest. Eyes wide, the guy thrust the sharp edge forward, letting the frame slide to the middle of the weapon. Energon spurted over his jacket; Nolan felt the hound's weight pushing him down to the floor. He let go of the handle and stepped aside before pulling the sword out of its back. The last Terrorcon was staring at the guy from a distance. It tilted its head to the right, letting a low growl escape its vocalizers. Unlike the other hounds, that dog had no poison dripping off its teeth, which weren't resembling those of a saber-toothed tiger. The creature's build, long, rather slender, was definitely an attribute of the cat family rather than the dogs.

And then the answer came to him.

"Ravage?" the boy called out the name, coming a step closer to the hunter.

As he had been expecting, the feline reacted to its designation with a nod. However, it was still keeping a one-meter long distance between the human and itself. Ravage was staring at the guy with hints of distrust — its tail was shaking in mid-air in either fear or fury. All of a sudden, the feline spun around and retreated into the shadows.

"Hey, what's with you!?" Nolan exclaimed.

He reached the darkest area of the hallway where Ravage was supposed to be heading to. Indeed, the hunter was waiting for him next to a grate. The cat jabbed its hooked tail into the bars and tore out the cover, revealing a passageway into another room. Ravage easily got through the tunnel while Nolan had to get on all fours and crawl. He winced at the rough metal scraping against his jacket. Luckily, the road hadn't proved to be too long as the guy noticed a triangular opening in the ceiling.

Clambering out of the tunnel, the human hadn't managed to conceal his surprise at the sight before him. Ravage had led him into a hangar with more than fifty jets parked in five rows. Ten F-15 fighters took the front in the first two lines while the rest of the aircraft was either unfamiliar to the guy or kept hidden under grey tarp.

"Unbelievable … So that's why people put the blame on the government. Those thieves attack by using stolen aircraft," Nolan presumed.

"–It's not stolen, but rebuilt.–"

That voice rang a bell in his mind. He turned to face Ravage, who was sitting beside him. Could it actually have been the feline's voice? Nolan scratched his head: he knew the written form of Neocybex. Those hieroglyphs didn't relate to any writing system ever known to mankind, yet some characters did make him think of the Japanese kana. But one fact stayed clear for the human — he'd never learn to speak their language.

"–I can talk, but only in this frequency, unlike the others who can master the majority besides this one. Too bad you can't understand me like Soundwave can,–" the hunter continued, wagging its tail. "–I know where the S- and U-tooth are hidden.–"

"Actually, I heard what you've just said," the guy revealed while thinking_, 'He talks a lot slower than Dead End. Maybe that's why I get what he says. Ugh, but why does it sound like ordinary English? Nah, I'll just play along and find out later.'_ Rubbing his chin, the guy continued, "But this doesn't prove you're the real Ravage."

"–I haven't posed myself as one. I'm the first replica before the original chassis were converted into spare parts for the resurrection of a Prime–," the drone clarified, walking in circles around the human. "–Like that Starscream duplicate, I've broken free from that virus, but unlike him, I am not affected by the side effects.–"

"Why?" Nolan asked, staring at the feline. "What makes you two so different?"

"–He was built from the Terrorcon's remains while I was not,–" Ravage clarified, "–but I am not sure how accurate that information is. Micronus has a burning desire to force him go offline, which is quite suspicious. That Starscream should own something the Prime is trying to regain or destroy.–"

Nolan stuck the sword into the floor and folded his arms. "And what do you think it **is**?" he asked.

Growls were all he earned in response. Ravage's fangs were dripping with venom as the feline eyed the blade, the red energy reflecting in his optics. Nolan felt the sword start warming up before it released a weak heatwave, burning the drone's olfactory sensors. Ravage withdrew to a short distance, but it still had its optics on the scorching weapon. Soon the drone shifted its gaze to the human and purred in satisfaction. "–So you're the one I've been expecting for. This Corona Glaive is, in fact, the original one. Perfect,–" Ravage suddenly said. "–That is all we need to spoil Amalagamous' meeting.–"

Before Nolan could even say a word, his new ally had already run towards the end of the hangar. Cursing under his breath, the guy remembered about his previous headache, yet the thought gave the slip when he followed the feline into a narrow tunnel.

Ravage didn't belong to any kind of fool, like the Decepticons —let's say— working for the humans' team. He was unquestioningly loyal but a very clever schemer. Barricade had some traits in common with the hunter. No one would argue about that, especially Kierra.

He had been monitoring her, watching her every step, and even alluding to the girl's nervousness since they'd arrived to the hangars. Maybe she was being too paranoid due to her latest experience in racing with an uncontrollable car. Maybe he was just doing his part of the job, which —no matter how much the Decepticon hated it— meant guarding the teen and Mikaela's Mini-Con follower. However, the Saleen's unusual interest in her was starting to annoy the girl. What if he was actually suspecting her in working with someone else?

"Barricade, I can handle this; go help Dualor. I think he can't lift that bar," Kierra said for the one hundredth and first time, "or whatever that thing is."

They both looked towards the dinosaur. He was balancing on his right foot while holding two red beams. Kierra shuddered as he collapsed to the floor, the metal rods landing on his chest.

"I'm OK, don't worry about it!" the Mini-Con said, throwing the weight off him.

"If you let me use my lasers on this scrapheap, I might as well clean this junk in a click, not in a millennium!" the Decepticon complained, throwing his servos up. "So I suggest you clear the way."

"Wait, you said 'if you let me use my lasers...', and then you just order me to get out of the way. I don't get you," Kierra noted, tossing a basket away. "Like when you're going to count my vote in?"

Barricade folded his servos in protest, growling at the girl. "Your first plan didn't work. That serves as a fairly good explanation. But first of all, why should I trust you?"

Kierra's heart sank into her boots when the 'Con mentioned the so-called trust. She was trying to keep a blank face, but Barricade's fixed gaze was cutting into her soul. He even bent down to the girl and leaned closer to her face.

"Is something bothering you, little human?" he sneered. "You don't have to avoid me. I'm the best listener you can ever find."

"Fine, do whatever you like however you like!" Kierra submitted to the mech's will, bearing her teeth to the him. "But quit with the staring!"

Having earned what he'd wished for, Barricade switched to car mode. All sorts of laser and energy blasters showed up from under his armor. Dualor and Kierra cleared the road as the guns started heating up. Multiple lasers fired at the mountain, scattering the junk in different directions. Soon a grille of a car appeared from under the trash, and then came the front, with a Mazda insignia giving the car away. Their treasure had finally been found, but for Kierra it meant more trouble. She prayed for the vehicle not to be the one whom she knew. Unlike the other four cars she met, that sedan posed a bigger threat to the girl's secrecy, thanks to his loud mouth.

"Who dares?" the bronze car asked, driving out of the scrapheap. "Who are you?"

Barricade held fire for a split second. "You have the honor of introducing yourself **first**."

"Your loutishness **deprives** me of any wish to converse," the car spat. "Either you leave this territory and never step in here, or I will have to take action."

"Oh, you're no better when it comes to **politesse** and **courage**. Barking from under a scrap pile won't protect you, Chaindrive," Barricade declared, "from the likes of **me**."

And from there the bragging had begun.

"Talk. Is that your new strategy — to talk me to death? You're awfully _chatty_ today," Chaindrive jeered with irony. "Has that loss broken your **shell**, or you've learned to talk in three weeks?"

"Has **your** tiny victory made you feel **so** confident? Gentleman drivers don't turn champions with one insignificant win," Barricade said, crossing his servos. "Your new alt mode can't really be a threat to **me**."

Buckets, wheels, and metal discs rolled down the heap when Chaindrive's hood moved out of the junk. Visible but not deep scratches were ruining the bronze paint job. The Mazda instantly transformed into robot mode right in front of his nemesis. He was Barricade's height, maybe even a bit shorter, since the shark fin on his head reached the Decepticon's forehead. Chaindrive held out his fist and gave Barricade a pound.

"Threat or not, it's not a reason to deny another challenge," the bronze mech declared, shoving the Decepticon away from himself. "And I know a perfect **trophy** for the race, eh, little creature?"

Little creature… whom did he refer to? Kierra stepped back but tripped over a plank and landed into a junk heap. Chaindrive stretched his arm in the opposite direction. She heard Dualor squeal before the Mini-Con was drawn to the mech's palm. Of course, she'd completely forgotten about the magnet in his palms. Chaindrive instantly jumped to vehicle mode and drove past Kierra, leaving a trail of black smoke. Coughing, she searched the hangar for her driver only to see him flying out of the smoke and passing her without stopping. She pleaded for the Decepticon to wait up, yet he'd reached a distance way too far to hear from.

"Ugh, I'd better report this..." Kierra concluded, talking out her phone, _'to Nexus Prime first. Chaindrive's showing off again...'_

"There's no need for that. Nexus already knows everything."

Freeze. All she could do was stand still and let the man in question approach her from behind. His heavy steps were silenced very close to the girl, forcing Kierra to turn around. She worried the least about the man's identity, since the voice was way too low to mistake with another. And the girl was right: it was him all right, Nexus Prime's right-hand man. That unlikely wasn't calming the burden of curiosity that kept pushing her to start questioning him. Out of all people that worked for Nexus, _he _was the one she expected least to leave base.

"You've scared me," Kierra confessed. No matter who startled her, a friend or a foe, she would hate the person for a while. But now, the girl smiled at the man, since _he_ almost always brought pleasing news. "Honestly, don't 'bridge' behind me ever again."

"Sorry. That was unintentional," he apologized. He held a paper curled into a tube firmly with ink stains clearly visible to the teen. "This might help you solve the city puzzle."

Kierra unrolled the paper right after having received it. Under the watchful eye of the man she scanned the colorful papyrus in search of its meaning. The manuscript depicted the map of the U.S. with six locations pointed out as red bold dots. It started with Tranquility and went on through Las Vegas before the casino city met the borders of Columbus. New Orleans came next, and a long road connected it with Boston. Going through Chicago now, the line enclosed in Cbus, yet the path only met its end in Tranquility, where everything had started from. It took a while for Kierra to grasp the shape's importance. The image before her was actually representing an arrow directed at the northeast — the exact location of Eurasia. One thing hadn't cleared up though: how come Chicago was among the five cities mentioned by the Prime?

"Chicago was out of the question at first, but it turned out to be a part of a map," the man answered, obviously noticing her lost gaze. "This has nothing to do with their hunt. It's more of a message left for someone else to read, and our Prime knew the person all too well to send such a complicated map."

"That fact cannot be proved," Kierra said in denial, closing the map. "If Chicago's a guess without any facts, how can we claim it really _is_ a hint? Besides, some Neutrals have already been assassinated in Columbus. It just **can't** be a coincidence!"

"Those Terrorcons had been let loose to make you lose that point. The situation you recorded and sent to us was also a set-up," her ally asserted.

"No way! They couldn't have predicted our trip to Es Vedr_à_ — it was a spontaneous decision!" Kierra claimed, dropping the map in shock. Clenching and throwing up her fists, she continued, "Micronus' speech sounded so realistic! He couldn't have detected us, since the artifact blocks all transmissions and signatures!"

There came the minute-long silence. The man looked around and took a deep sigh, letting his sunglasses slip down his nose. Kierra covered her mouth; she wasn't supposed to say that in public. Nexus Prime would not forgive that fault even though he wasn't the kind to hold grudges. That wasn't even the point. If anyone, even her allies, found out what she had been hiding for so long, it would be the end of the game, finita la commedia!

"Your sense of caution has been suppressed along with the distrust. Naïvety may cost us all the goals we have archived," the man said, taking his glasses off. "Remember, no one should know anything about us, not even Mikaela. Because if they find out, so will Amalgamous; and if he finds out earlier than the trade occurs, we will lose the chance to let The Crack Team and the Shifters slaughter each other."

Kierra gulped but then looked into his eyes. "But how am I going to explain Mikaela that I've been working with her father all along? You know she's going to find it out eventually!"

Eventually or not, that was hard to say in terms of truth. Speaking of truth, Nolan had been looking for his own verity for a while now. He was puzzled by an alternative version of that concept. That electronic map with a gigantic arrow pointing at Europe had its own truth lay hidden in Adon and Lezoux, two communes in France. Those townships shared at least some connection between each other: the country, the position, which was very close to the center of France, and the area, even though Lezoux's territory exceeded Adon's on about four square miles. The third location, El Milano, was being marked as a Spanish village that covered an area even tinier.

"–The Corona Glaive was given to you as a hint, human. Use it to choose the correct destination,–" Ravage guided, hopping on its hind legs to see the map. "–There is a hint this sword hides, and you're the one who can find it.–"

Hint, all he needed was that hint, but where could it be? Having checked the cracks, the human discovered nothing. They were just radiating heat, nothing more. The handle too proved to be a waste of time. Its soft leathery cover was the only thing the hilt had. Nolan scratched the weak stripe. Organic material on an alien robot sword … Could that be the clue he was looking for?

"Let's see..." the guy whispered, tearing it off. "Three–Seven–Two–Five–Six– mail... It's a postal code. Can you navigate which area it's assigned to, Ravage?"

"–Nothing could be simpler than this,–" the feline boasted.

It jabbed its tail into a panel close to the computer, tearing into the wiring. The drone's optics flickered before it dug deeper into the cables. Its search seemed not to gain any results until the map turned into pixels, creating an unclear image. Nolan ran up to the console to type in his own codes, yet Ravage's growl ordered him not to. The picture instantly changed into the first result; however, there was only one dot flashing now, the one in El Milano.

"Ravage, care to lead me to the Ground Bridge?" the human requested. "You know this place like the back of your _paw_."

Ravage did not react to that request. His frame stiff, the feline was eyeing something behind his back. Nolan swung around, threatening the unwanted guest with his sword. The blade shuddered in his grip; his own Audi was parked close to his heels with its headlights on yet with no driver visible. Its color was replaced by light bronze, which meant it could not actually belong to him. But the snake keychain hanging on the rear-view mirror was clearly his own.

"Please don't tell me I'd bought a Terrorcon," Nolan wished.

"Oh. Am I not worth the IC's you'd traded to Leo Splitz in exchange?" the car questioned in a quiet voice.

The guy smirked in response. Pressing his hand against the Audi's hood, he answered, "Well, if my _buddy_ Leo had known whom he was about to sell, he would have never sold you for some fake computer chips."

All he earned was a chuckle in response. "That is true but not quite the reason of my sudden disclosure. My Master requests your presence at the trade, so I'm driving you to the village. Oh, and refer to me as Pinion rather that 'my car'."

Pinion unlocked the front doors, letting the duo get into the car. Ravage jumped into the back seat and settled down on the floor. Buckling up, Nolan took the driving into his own hands and headed towards the passage Ravage and he had come from. Driving around two jets, the guy caught sight of the Bridge hiding in the corner of the room, but then he was distracted.

"Human!" he heard a shout.

Starscream was waving at the human from an upper platform. Nolan slammed the brakes — no, where the brakes should have been. Pinion _had_ no brakes!

"Hey, wait a minute! We gotta' make another stop!" Nolan reminded, turning the wheel in the opposite direction. He growled in frustration when the Audi blocked the controls. "Pinion, what are you doing?! Turn that way!"

But the driver's next phrase had completely caught him off guard, "He accepted my boss' mission that he must fulfill on his own. I was forbidden to come to his aid."

"But—"

Nolan never finished his protest.

Pinion had already entered the portal that lead them into a highway. He was now overtaking a truck, sending Ravage flying into the left door. Another semi-trailer truck was coming straight into them. Something switched in the Audi's panel before he boosted into the right, almost scratching the Saab's nose. Going at the speed of ninety miles per hour, he drifted along the road into a sharp turn where signs of road repairs and roadblocks were telling the driver to drop the speed. Pinion, like the human thought, cared less. Nolan squeezed the steering wheel when the small rocks assaulted the car from all directions. Ravage roared in the back as a shower of stones was drumming against the windows, creating small cracks and scratches. Nolan sunk into the seat, covering his ears not to listen to the Audi's drumroll.

"Pinion, drop the speed!" he yelled at the driver. "You're not going anywhere if those rocks ruin the car!"

"Dear passengers, we have passed the minefield," Pinion announced, ignoring the human's words. "We have half an hour more till we reach the farm, so buckle up and be prepared for more stunning maneuvers."

_'Why am I always so damn lucky?'_ Nolan wondered, leaning against the seat.

* * *

><p>"How much do you know about the Primes?"<p>

Starscream came up to Gallant as he posed that question. The machine gun was in readiness to pin the scientist down if he'd make an attempt to overthrow the Seeker. Gallant was among those mechs he believed in the least, especially after his criminal deeds against the Decepticons. Now, much to the 'Con's annoyance, the knight was the only cover he had and probably could get. Starscream shook his helm to rid himself of the thoughts about Nolan.

"If you trade me a piece of your trust, I will share everything I know," the scientist promised with a bit of venom in his voice. "If not, then let it stay as it is."

"My trust isn't worth anyone, fool. No mech or human has ever deserved it," Starscream said through gnashed denta. "Even if you've betrayed your allies, this doesn't present you new privileges. The more you _lie_ to someone, the more the others are convinced you're not worth the trouble."

Gallant chuckled in response. "Wise words from a liar with a ridiculously long record," he commented. "Fine, I can give you a hint about your employer. Yes, the one who sent you here. He may have promised you a cure for the Trojan, but it will not be of much help. You will still be left as you are, only without Cron trying to take over your programming and the memory glitch."

"You talk so much you don't even know how to come up with a fairly convincing lie," Starscream pointed out, pushing his gun into the knight's back. "Maybe I should shoot you here and go find that blasted human myself. Your socializing is starting to get on my nerves."

"As are you with always following me around."

Starscream frowned and pushed his hostage ahead, aiming the gun at Micronus in the distance. The Mini-Con was levitating above a rock with his feet crossed as if he were meditating. The green plate in his chest was radiating emerald green energy. Every plant the waves reached withered and turned grey under their influence, creating a round field of dead greenery.

"What's the matter? Scared, clone?" Micronus teased, smirking at the mech.

All right, that was the last straw. "I am **not **a clone!" the flier screamed, charging at the Prime.

Micronus' smile grew even wider. Starscream uncovered his claw blades and kept them close to himself before thrusting the knives forward into the shield. The Prime had been waiting for that moment. As soon as he touched the barrier a rain of rays assaulted the mech from all sides, burning his wings, pedes and shoulders. The claws melted like wax on his servo and dropped on the grass, yet it didn't satisfy the shooters until Micronus put his arm up; everything quietened.

Starscream jerked his helm to the left, to the right: purple optics were watching him, five pairs on one side and five on the other. Rifle barrels were pointing out of the bushes they were hiding in. Those lifeless eyes glittered once before dying out completely, the guns vanishing into the leaves.

"Rook and Crosswise were great guards in terms of capturing enemies but not in terms of extermination," Micronus spoke, pressing his hands against his knees. "These drones are more effective, more skillful … emotionless. You were once among them until the little glitch in the virus, but that takes minor effort to fix. Give up, and I'll make you my right hand mech. I'll give you more than those humans; I'll give you a chance to return you your primary form."

"Ha, you had used me once," Starscream _jogged the Prime's memory_. He tore the remaining molten metal off his wrist, tossing it into the grass. "What could prevent you from doing that again?" the mech continued. "Gallant? Banes? The Autobots, which is very unlikely? That little girl Jones? Dead End? Hmm, who have I yet to list?"

Micronus didn't seem to be listening. Starscream noticed that weak yet convulsive movement of the Mini-Con's arms after he'd mentioned Kierra's surname, her real surname. Having thought more carefully, the Seeker remembered the reason that had flashed several times in the past, but he never paid any heed to those situations, mostly to the one in Chicago.

_"Stay away, Jones," Dualor warned. "He wants your badge, and I can't let that happen!"_

_"She's not Jones, she's Banes, you idiot!" Starscream corrected, annoyed. _

_'Scrap. How did that come out?'_ the Seeker thought, taking a deep vent. _'That was completely unnecessary!'_

"I have what I need," Micronus spoke in a low, stern voice. "Demolish these clowns, my legionaries. None should know they've been here! "

The purple optics illuminated the shadows once again. Readying his gun, Starscream took a few steps back, switching targets from the left to the right. His servos held dead the trigger when the drones finally came out of the bushes. Ten Starscreams, exactly the same as him, had Null Rays directed at the Seeker, but unlike him, they had the Crack Team's emblems replacing the Mini-Con ones on their wings.

"Now do you entrust me with helping you, Starscream?" Gallant asked in the back.

Hearing his name, Starscream glanced at the knight and nodded at him before the enemy's legion lunged at them.

* * *

><p><strong>Outnumbered they stand, facing a tiny legion of clones. How's Starscream going to defeat them all? Will he ever accept Gallant as a worthy ally? What's that trade Nexus Prime's so eager to louse up? Coming up in chapter 19.<strong>

**Feedback and notes are more than welcomed. **


	19. Chapter 19: Nailed Down

**To avoid confusion: the term "Terrocons" for the revived characters I used in this fic was a bit incorrect. I meant the TerroRcons (reference to Prime Megatron's undead army).**

**Here's chapter 19!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

**Nailed Down**

A shower of machine gun bullets — he evaded it. The Null Rays had almost caught his right foot. The small yet painful gauge on his wing hurt with every movement. Starscream roared as he slashed at the android in front.

He missed.

The drone ducked, letting the droid behind his back deliver a straight punch into the flier's canopy. Starscream was brought down to the grass and now posed an easy target, yet the machine did not even touch him. Hissing, the Seeker summoned his machine gun again and answered with breaking the enemy's cockpit.

Yellow shards rained across the ground.

Then two lasers scorched his joints and brought the mech to his knees. Starscream looked up to identify the threat but caught only one sniper in a tree close by. Two shots at the same time equaled two marksmen. No weapon he knew could have rate of fire quick enough to let the user shoot random targets at such speed. Starscream's thoughts proved true where he noticed the three copies targeting his chest from the ground.

Three on the ground, with the fourth behind one's back, and a single sniper on a tree made five drones. Starscream hadn't dealt any massive damage yet while those puppets had already managed to wear him out. With the corner of his optic he caught Gallant fending the other batch off. They were striking at the knight, with claw blades serving as their main weapons. Starscream grew curious at that point. No guns, just swords were being used among the group; Gallant also had swords. The duplicates before the Seeker tried not to finish him off for some odd reason.

_'Hmm ... Could it be that they have one of those basic programs?'_ Starscream wondered. Calling off his gun, the flier waited for their reaction. He sniggered when the machines copied the action. _'All right, let's see how smart you are.'_

The drones called upon their melee weapons when Starscream charged at the group. His first target, the "evasive" drone was coming up. His hand held behind his back, the Seeker extended his claws and lunged at the machine. The android raised its weapon into the sky — the worst choice it had ever made. Starscream took out his blaster and jabbed it into the clone's chest. The duplicate let out a freaky groan; the laser went through the drone hiding behind the other's back as well, knocking them both aside. Starscream spat at the fallen frames while glaring at the remaining duo. That moan the mech made was still stinging his neural circuitry.

Predictably, the drones kept their positions. They switched to the Null Rays again, to Starscream's inconvenience. A flash of red startled the Decepticon; it turned out to be Gallant's flamethrower setting the attackers on fire, forcing them to withdraw to a distance where the burning fuel couldn't reach them. Melt metal was dripping from their servos onto the dead grass, freezing it into spikes of liquid steel. One drone from the knight's batch had a sword stuck in his helm, lying limp behind the scientist.

Starscream remembered about his players when the sniper opened fire on his joints again. Gallant noticed it as well. He hurled his sword like boomerang into the shooter's weapon, slicing it into two. The two remaining drones looked back and glared at the Seeker. Their servos transformed into something the Original had never installed before — Scatter Blasters. Starscream yelped when his copy unexpectedly shot him in the shoulder. Intense pain jolted through the cabling, but then he felt nothing, not even the yellow crystal digging into his armor.

"Avoid being impaled by the dry Synth En! It disrupts the functionality of the infected area," Gallant warned while avoiding a punch, "slowing down the neurotransmissions. You are left immobilized until a cure is injected into your lines. "

"Well, then stop working with your **mouth** and work with your **hands**!" Starscream ordered, stabbing a drone into the neck and tearing its cabling out. "I'm annoyed with these puppets!"

The last machine directed its blasters at Starscream. Its servos were shaking for some odd reason. The Seeker gawked at the clone when its optics went offline, and the mech fell facedown to the ground. Warily, Starscream approached the frame while searching the tree for the sniper, which to the mech's amazement, was hanging upside down, its right foot stuck between two oak branches.

"They must have run out of Energon," Gallant concluded. "These drones expire quicker. Micronus must have been fueling his troops with pure Dark Energon, which gives great strength but cuts the subject's life cycle drastically."

"Tell me something I do _not_ know," Starscream barked, "like where's that wretch heading to!"

"Let that sparkle guide our way," the scientist suggested, nodding to his right.

Indeed, something was sparkling on the other side of the forest; a grass path, which was trodden by at least a crowd of Mini-Cons or humans, was lead to that flashing light. When the Seeker took a better glance at the footprints, he also found old wheel tracks that were concealed under the burnt greenery. They could belong to a tray or any other kind of carrier with tiny wheels, not a car definitely.

Starscream hurried after Gallant, who had already reached the end of the forest. Sunrays bombarded his optics as the Seeker joined his ally's side. They had ended up in a cornfield: the place where the Bridge had taken them to, or could it be another land? The flier recalled a tractor parked in the middle of the field, so if the vehicle stayed there, his assumption would have proof: they could have been walking in circles.

Curious, Starscream took off into the field, cleaving the tall corn. He saw no footprints, but the pulled out corn served as a better clue, a clue that meant someone had been there before. The Seeker did not quite recall leaving that trail behind; it could have been Gallant's mean of orientation in the area though. Unfortunately, the other hint he found overshadowed the first point. That tractor with that same blue paint job hiding under a thick layer of rust — he recognized them. The Seeker wasn't that easy to convince though. Starscream went around the vehicle and stumbled upon one misplaced detail. A plow was attached to the tractor while the one he'd seen first had a harrow instead.

"We have chosen the right path after all," the Seeker confirmed, turning around. "Huh?"

Gallant wasn't there; he could be waiting behind the tractor. Starscream went around the vehicle, grumbling. It couldn't have been so difficult to actually follow the mech. Evidently, it could have been after all — Gallant was nowhere around. Puffing hot air through his vents, Starscream ran one circle round the object but found nothing, not even footprints.

"Blast it! First that insect ditched me, now this glitchhead's gone," the mech muttered, covering his face with his palm. "You can always reckon upon yourself only."

Out of all phrases he could think of, that one described the situation the best. The shimmer Gallant identified last had vanished without a trace; the knight's footprints ended near the tractor. Starscream tried pinpointing Gallant's energy signature, yet the scan results hadn't led him anywhere. He was stuck pretty deep.

_'Maybe there's a better view from the roof?'_ the Seeker wondered.

With his jet engines damaged, getting on the roof turned out to be a lot more time-consuming than usually. He jabbed his digits into the soft steel and dragged himself up, finally getting on top of the tractor. Starscream had stumbled upon yet another dilemma. The cornfield extended from the mountains to the mech's left to the horizon, disappearing on the East. Gallant had mentioned before that El Milano was situated almost across the highway, which was about half a mile away from the forest, but the field in front of him occupied an area of twenty square miles.

Blocking his optics from the harsh sunlight, Starscream searched the field for hints. He shook with surprise when caught a motion in the corn a few steps away. Whatever or whoever it was, the object was moving quite slowly. Scanners identified the target as Cybertronian, yet it had an unreadable energy signature. His systems couldn't identify it no matter how close the enigma had come.

_'Pity,'_ Starscream mused, laying low on the roof. _'Sending you offline would be more interesting if I knew who you were. There's nothing exiting in killing silly guards.'_

The corn suddenly stopped moving. Starscream still saw the parting maize ears. What a perfect moment to strike the defenseless prey. At least he thought so till the plants were pinned down. His target had fallen to the ground before he even drew his guns!

"What?!" Starscream said in a hoarse whisper. _'Just what is going on here?'_

He jumped down and hurried to the spot with his blaster in readiness. Footprints had come his way, but there were only two of them, no more or less. A blink of purple, however, distracted the mech from his find. White arm plates were pointing out of the plants; a yellow letter on one plate became visible to the flier — the golden number three. Starscream came to an abrupt stop.

"Downshift …" he murmured, coming closer to the frame. No matter if his enemy was dead, the Seeker felt not like celebrating the spy's demise as he frequently did.

Something looked wrong about that mech: he had no weaponry by his side; no Energon was seen around or on the plants. A small detail caught the Decepticon's attention. Stuck in the mech's shoulder was a crystal shard. Starscream rolled the frame over and found more Synth En in Downshift's forehead.

"Funny. I guess your trip has reached its end as well, Downshift," the Seeker spluttered. "If only you could have told me who was after you before this incident, I might have forgotten our_ flight_ in the forest."

Starscream took notice of a keychain sticking out from the Mini-Con's fist. He used his blaster like a crowbar to open the clenched hand. The Seeker growled: it didn't give in that easily, but then a blue badge slid out of the mech's palm. Starscream snickered as he picked up the find and kept swinging it before his optics, his smirk visible in the clear paint.

"This task was too simple. The S-Tooth is now in my possession, which means that Prime has no choice but to hand over the cure," Starscream said, hiding the badge in his subspace.

"You may receive Quintus' antidote and use it to cure the Trojan only. Be aware, it won't help you regain what has been lost."

"Your words mean nothing to me, Micronus Prime."

The Seeker rose to his pedes and turned to face the Mini-Con. Although his paintjob perfectly suited the environment, the yellow optics were still standing out in the greenery. Starscream cocked his optic ridge in surprise; Micronus didn't have any weapons aimed at the Seeker — a bit uncharacteristic of him.

"They should, Starscream. You're being led by the nose by your own allies," the Prime asserted, his voice calm, uncaring, "and you don't even notice it. They forced you to take their side with minor effort. Is serving **humans** what you've always dreamt of?"

Starscream chuckled in response. He showed the Prime the S-Tooth. "This is what you want, isn't it, Micronus? You're trying to persuade me to give it to you. Do you really think I'm as foolish as your clones?"

Micronus shook his head, but — why in denial or disappointment? It was difficult to guess till the mech spoke again, his optics blazing in golden sparks, "Take three steps back. If I had wanted the device, I would have it by now. Ah, and yes, while being a clone by origin, there's more to you than meets the eye. That's the reason why I've been trying to return you."

"Gah, I've told you this before, and I tell you this again — I **am** not a **clone**!" Starscream repeated himself, doing his best not to shoot the mech. His blaster unlike his processor was ready to send the Prime to the Pits. "Maybe you've somehow transferred into this Mini-Con addition, but I have all of my memories, even those before the Decepticons had come to this mud ball!"

"All of the clones thought they were the original Starscream … at first."

Starscream's blaster stopped shaking. The Prime's optics mirrored his gape. He refused to believe this. Yes, Micronus was trying to double-cross him, and the Mini-Con was doing well but not well enough. Starscream gnashed his dental plates and growled at the Prime, "That cannot be possible in scientific means! I demand proof!"

"You should remember the project Gamma-Z. It's the virus Quintus and his assistant created to keep Terrorcons under control and block all of their memories, but we also used it on the clones. The success rate equaled seventy five per cent with five per cent ending as malfunctions and twenty as permanent shutdowns," Micronus retold, staring straight into the Decepticon's eyes. He seemed to ignore the mech's request. "You were among the three subjects that wouldn't fully accept the new programming. Your allies, Thundercracker and Barricade, also proved to have some immunity to the Trojan you named. However, Barricade was soon dominated while you two were not, thanks to your friends Kierra Jones, Raymond Rogers, and Sonar. That cunning triad let you two escape. Gallant and Colonel Bogdanski found you in the park three weeks later, but those fools couldn't even complete the easiest mission."

Listen, all he could do was listen to the Prime's speech. Starscream recalled the project's name, the failure where the Colonel threatened to scrap him, the park battle — everything to the tiniest bits. His data banks didn't provide him with many hints on the "rescue" though. Starscream had been holding a grudge against the girl since he found out about the "missing teens". She knew everything about him yet kept it to herself...

And planned on it staying that way.

Instead of trusting the Prime he grew even more unconvinced by the Ancient's words though; and what he'd blurted out before provided the Seeker with a valuable answer...

_"These drones are more effective, more skillful … emotionless. You were once among them until the little glitch in the virus, but that takes minor effort to fix. Give up, and I'll make you my right hand mech. I'll give you more than those humans; I'll give you a chance to return you your primary form."_

Micronus was the one in fact the one attempting to lure the mech on his side.

"As much as I remember, Micronus, you're the one I should blame for _this_," Starscream jogged the Prime's memory. He drew his machine gun and now had its scope on the Mini-Con's form. "Siding with you will slow me down like Gallant did. Neither he, nor you are worth that kind of trouble."

Micronus chuckled, shrugging in response. "Shoot me if I'm such a nuisance. I dare you try."

"Shooting your reflection is as pointless as entrusting Rook and Crosswise with guard duty," Starscream remarked with his head cocked to the left.

"How do you know that?!"

With a quick move of his hand the gun faced the right side of the field. He pulled the trigger. Shells hailed onto the Seeker's feet; corn kernels piled around the lying plants with a pair of green pedes hidden under the mountain. Starscream held fire when his systems claimed he was about to run out of ammunition. Spitting at the grass, he headed straight, not caring to look at the lying frame. He growled as he detached the machine gun from his servo and hurled it behind without looking, hissing in anger.

"Argh, I'll find out what's going on here myself, and the Prime's the first one on the _list_."

* * *

><p><strong>Starscream isn't quite happy with Micronus Prime's claims. What can Nexus Prime do to persuade him? Coming up in chapter 20.<strong>

**Note: since chapter 19 proved to be a bit too long, I've divided it into two chapters, with the trade set in the second one. I'll post it on either Thursday or Friday.**


	20. Chapter 20: Miracles

**Chapter 20**

**Miracles**

Nolan held his breath as Ravage and he watched the situation heating up before their very eyes. Without Pinion by their side, they boy felt like they were sitting ducks in the bushes, and if it hadn't been for Ravage's signature blocking device, they would have been detected with ease by the Shifter squadron patrolling the area. The majority was guarding a curious weapon enclosed with transparent square shields from the left, right, and the front. It put Nolan in mind of the Pulsar Cannon scheme left behind by Wheeljack, but a disparity between the paper variant and the real-life version was standing out to the human. Even though a week had passed since he opened the plan last, the guy was certain the cannon rivaled a school bus in terms of height and weight. Now, the cannon's barrel beat a trailer truck in length; none of the Primes would be able to carry it one their own, especially Micronus.

Ravage tapped on the guy's shoulder with his tail in order to get attention. At last, the dealer had arrived, but instead of Micronus — as Pinion had claimed before — came Ironhide walking an unknown Mini-Con on a chain leash. The prisoner glared at the Shifters, at their leader in particular, and bore his teeth to them. Unlike Sky Blast, who appeared to be safe and sound in the enemy's grasp, the prisoner constantly limped on his right leg, dragging it like a burden. Amalgamous approached Ironhide without any weaponry, but the glare planted on his face was more than enough to see his _joy_.

"–Decepticons don't seem to be aware of the concepts called _punctuality_ and _the goods' safety_. Eh, what else should I expect from a band of cut-throats and charlatans?–" the Prime uttered, hissing after each and every word. "–Never mind that. Where's your leader? I agree not to trade with a Terrorcon pawn.–"

"I thought a Prime was leader, not a Decepticon," Nolan whispered to his ally.

"–True. Amalgamous Prime is too obsessed with the Requiem Blaster to find that out,–" Ravage revealed.

'_Requiem Blaster? That's one of the artifacts from the list with some Legian Darts and a Triptych Mask,'_ the human called to mind. "What does the blaster do?"

"–The original Blaster could demolish mountains. It drew the energy from the most powerful sources known to exist in the galaxy. Black holes, quasars, supernovae — the closest of them served as the weapon's _ammunition._ The Blaster Amalgamous wishes to acquire,–" the feline described, "–is the combined form of the three Mini-Cons we are searching for: Payload, Sky Blast, and Astroscope. Having obtained the blaster, Amalgamous can draw the same power from a black hole to unlock a gate to another dimension. Not even Micronus Prime was aware what was kept in that pocket dimension."

Nolan took cover in the leaves as a missile soared in the sky. It flew past their hideout, the trees and vanished into the cornfield hologram, leaving a trail of purple smoke. Ravage scratched the human's leg and placed his tail before himself. The reason was simple: something quivered in the trees close to the Terrorcon's feet. The duo weren't the only ones to notice that. Ironhide shot the shrub multiple times till nothing but a cavity extending far down had remained. With a cocked optical ridge he picked the car tire up and flung it into one of soldiers, nailing him into the nose.

"–There's finally something we have in common: hate for being spied on. Marvelous,–" the Prime said. He switched positions with one of his soldiers, taking the back seat among his army. "–A deal is a deal, but I am not giving the artifacts that rightfully belong to a Prime! Retrieve the Requiem Blaster component, my Shifters!–"

"The Crack's not gonna give up their hostage that easily," Nolan claimed. "He's contradicting himself!"

"Like all the other Primes do."

Pinion drove up to their hideout. Three more cars reached his side: a Toyota, a Jaguar, and a Mazda, and all of them were of the same bronze coloration. Revving their engines, the vehicles reached the edge of the cliff. Nolan shouted for the four to wait up, yet they never listened. They sped downhill to the raging battle, and soon one Shifter caught sight of the group. His horns twisting back, the soldier fired his rotary cannon at the first car, the Audi who instead of transforming, accelerated, going straight into the trooper.

"What's that moron doing?!" Nolan grumbled, taking off his rifle.

"–Do not engage. If we were said "sit", so we "sit" and wait,–" Ravage butted in.

"Sorry, pooch, but I don't play by rules," the human sneered, getting up to his knees.

He jumped over the edge with minimal care of the cat's snarling. Second by second he was speeding up. He winced at the noise of his pants rubbing against the soft ground; they were heating up, catching any pin and crushing it under the guy's left hip. Dirt and grass caught between the shoelaces; sand flew into his eyes, blinding him. Nolan opened one eye and caught sight of a skinny tree that was coming his way. Spiky cactus leaves were surrounding it from the left. Going ... Going ... He stretched his hands to catch the tree. Nolan shuddered as he seized the bare trunk, pulling the tree after himself. His palms skidded to its tip thanks to the pollen raining on his palms, making the tree even more slippery. He heard a faint croaking sound, as if a rope was about to rip. Nolan's hands were now holding the plant's peak; the guy had finally stopped slipping. Looking down, the human smiled to himself; he'd reached the slope's foot.

"Gracias, little tree," Nolan said, taking a deep sigh. He released the plant and felt a scorching pain in his elbow. Spike marks were going from the very joint to the shoulder, "Ugh, that stupid cactus! I thought it was a tree!"

A clash between two swords caught he guy's attention. Given their universal paint job, Nolan found it tough to tell the four bronze robots apart. However, when he noticed the Audi insignia on one of the mechs, he recognized Pinion as the one fighting two Shifters. The warrior slashed at the soldiers with his bladed arm, slicing their guns off. His orange visor glittered in the sunlight as Pinion stabbed an attacking Shifter into the Spark. The other soldier used the bronze mech's distraction to charge up Plasma Cannon. Nolan noticed something glittering on the Shifter's toe. He didn't have to wait long as the mine exploded, enveloping the mech whole in black smoke. Lumps of dirt showered from the sky; Nolan covered his head and ran in direction of the forest. He heard a faint yelp come from nearby. It must have been the Mini-Con. His teeth ground, the guy hurried to the voice's source. Whoever it could be, the whine belonged to a lesser being, perhaps like him, judging by how quiet it sounded, yet who knew?

Nolan saw an unclear shadow of a tree with something pressed against its trunk. His heart beating fast, the guy darted towards the stock. Yellow optics blinked in the dark as the rescue reached the destination. Nolan's breathing slowed down; he'd found the Mini-Con wrapped around the pine in a chain.

"Stay still. I'll free you," Nolan promised, running up to the hostage.

"You're that human who rescued Sky Blast and Sparkplug, right?" the Mini-Con questioned, earning himself a nod. He freed one of his hands. A dagger was lying in his palm. "There's a lock to the collar on my neck. Open it and I'll be free."

"Got it," the guy said.

He took the knife and found the golden keyhole, which reminded an entrance for a bolt rather than a key. Nolan stuck the dagger into the lock, but he couldn't open it: the blade would slide out of the entrance ever time the guy tried spinning it.

"Crap, it's stuck in here for good," he cursed, tossing the knife away. "There should be another way ... Of course!"

Nolan entered some codes on the screen of his grappling hook. The claws' tip morphed into a screw driver that the guy inserted into the keyhole. The tip began to spin like a drill; instead of breaking through the metal, the device unlocked the collar. The Mini-Con tore through the chain and tossed it aside.

"One matter's solved," the mech said in joy, coming close to the human. "But I cannot leave without Wind Sheer. The chances of his survival are low if I don't get that Energon out of his lines in the next two hours. We've got to get close to the cannon for me to untie Wind Sheer and flee unnoticed."

"Hmm ... Your speed is limited for a marathon half a mile long by the damage you've sustained. Don't you think the attempt will be… futile?"

"Yet another dramatic entrance, eh, Starscream?" Nolan joked. Honestly, he hadn't been expecting for that one, but showing the Seeker his surprise didn't suit him either.

The named flier descended from a tree, landing right before the guy's face. Even though he wasn't glaring at the human, Starscream did sound rather displeased, as usual. "You clearly can't distinguish drama from anything else," he noted, "which I find not so surprising."

"You've found the best time for settling this. Either you two focus on more relevant subjects than this comedy, or I'll seek help from someone else," the Mini-Con notified, getting between the twosome.

"He's right, 'Scream," Nolan admitted. But he couldn't resist laughing at the Seeker's annoyed vent in response to the nickname. "Let's face it: we need someone really quick to reach the Pulsar, and you're the mech with the jet engines, Starscream. I—"

"They're nonfunctional, human, as far as you remember," the flier muttered, avoiding the human's gaze. His wings dropped as he whispered something about a person named Downshift. They jolted up when jet engines roared above the group.

Four fighters were new flying round the field like vultures. While their paintjob didn't have any perceptible difference, the jets still varied in the colors of their tails — three were sharing "blue" while the other aircraft had a trademark silver star, the sign of its leadership. Those jets didn't belong to the military — no were seen on board! The F-16's separated to avoid a homing missile that followed after the escadrille's leader. Then the projectile switched its target to the yellow-tailed Falcon and caught his left wing, sending him into a tailspin. Nolan and the mechs took cover as the jet rocketed above the oaks and crashed into the forest with a loud bang that deafened the human. A weak tremor made him drop his rifle. Starscream's shout directed to boy to look into the sky where a spinning in the clouds a bronze MiG-31 whooshed close to the surface, leaving thick twin contrails.

"They're distracted! Go get Wind Sheer!" the Mini-Con's statement almost sounded like an order, a desperate order.

"Catch, lil' guy." Nolan threw the rifle into the mech's servos. "Gimme' cover if needed."

"Nolan, you fool! Don't run through the center; you'll get squashed!" Starscream exclaimed in the back.

Stubborn, way too stubborn for his own good. Nolan sprinted towards the Toyota warrior, who in the meanwhile was fending off another Shifter. With a flamethrower in his servos, the purple mech tried burning the racer's toes, yet the target jumped out of the way and shot the enemy's right shoulder joint. Broken bolts fell out of the melt armor, forcing the Shifter drop the weapon. It fell with a powerful tremor that tripped the guy and brought him to his knees. Nolan looked up; he still had a fair distance to run.

_'I'm not giving up just yet!'_ he swore, sticking his blade into the ground. He used it like a cane to get up and continued on.

Starscream was right: choosing that road was a misguided choice. Laser blasts constantly flew above his head, grenades exploded every once in a while — everything the Shifters did would almost hit the human. And the wound on his arm had forced the guy carry the Glaive in his left hand where the hook was, making it quite difficult to use the claws if needed.

When Nolan saw his driver beheading another troop, a new plan was born in his mind though. "Pinion, wait up!"

The mech's door-wings perked up. "Following orders is just too difficult for you, it seems," he said calmly while checking his surroundings. Unlike his tone, the racer's wings suggested he wasn't glad to see the human.

"Can you toss me on the gun?" the guy requested.

Pinion's wings shuddered. Nolan didn't even know how that question had given the slip, but a try was worth a try. The Audi racer's visor glittered in orange, which sent a shiver of worry run down till the guy's feet. The answer was pretty obvious.

"Okay."

OK — a reply as simple as that one was satisfying but astounding. Pinion didn't even question the guy's intentions. He lifted the human and clasped the guy's feet, letting him hunker down. Nolan inhaled and exhaled slowly, calming himself. He slipped onto the mech's index finger as Pinion drastically lowered his servo. Then with a powerful jerk he sent Nolan flying towards the Pulsar.

Wind was howling in his ears. The guy felt a little dizzy; he was thirty feet high, soaring above the Shifters and Pinion's allies. He'd passed above the Mazda who looked up, his mouth opened in shock. His heart skipped a beat as a Shifter tried aiming a rifle at him. However, the Jaguar rider knocked the gunner off pedes and crushed the weapon. The Pulsar's longest barrel was coming up. Its cat-claw hook posed a safe, reliable belay. Nolan thrust his arm forward and fired his hooks into the spike, but the claws bounced off the metal like a rubber ball!

"Oh, shit!" Nolan screamed as he flew inches above the barrel.

He landed on the cannon and was now sliding down the curve at light speed. He jabbed his sword into the armor. The harsh pain of the cactus marks didn't pity his elbow, yet he kept pressing on, stabbing the Glaive even deeper. Bit by bit the sword was slowing down his fall till it stopped at the end of the barrel, which had a sixteen-foot distance between the ground and itself. Nolan stuck the grappling hook into the metal and used it to get slide down after the fashion of a common Hollywood movie spy.

"Eh, scratched the toy ... a bit," the guy referred to the cannon, sticking out his tongue. "Is that ...?"

Nolan noticed a pair of swept up wings right under a curve he stepped on. He jumped down to the mech only to see a grayish brown Mini-Con tied to the cannon's armor. The red outlines on his wings were scarred — the marks of a sharp blade. A Synth En shard was planted into the flier's ankle and chest. The Energon had possibly gained effect; Wind Sheer didn't react to the human's calls at all. His lifeless stare looked like the mech was long dead. Yet when Nolan touched the cuffs on his wrist, Wind Sheer's head jerked up. For a moment, the guy dared not to approach the hostage. Wind Sheer threw Nolan a short glance before lowering his helm again.

"I said I wouldn't run away anywhere. Why do you always keep rushing here?" the Mini-Con questioned in a low voice, sounding quite lost. He didn't look afraid of the human; the hostility in his voice told the opposite. His wings lowered, which usually meant either fury or fear. Nolan had studied Starscream's reactions enough to read the fliers' emotions.

"I'm not a Shifter, Wind Sheer," Nolan tried to encourage the mech. He took hold of the cuff and found a chain inserted into a ring connected with the cannon's armor and welded to the other cuff. "Your Mini-Con partner's sent me here."

"Payload? ... He would have come here on his own a long time ago," Wind Sheer declared sternly. His wings perked up a little when the human mentioned the partner. "And your impudence is shocking, Downshift. First you run off for a few hours then return as a new mech. This Dark Energon isn't enough to make me lose my sanity."

_'The Synth En must be causing a malfunction in his optical sensors that creates these hallucinations. He needs immediate treatment. There should be a way for me to leave the field. In the meantime, I have to somehow persuade him, and I guess I know how,'_ Nolan concluded. "Listen, Wind Sheer, you don't really have much choices. I can free you, lead to the safest hideout and help get a cure from the Energon. The Crack Team wouldn't even care about you."

"You're right. Doom's guaranteed on both sides," the Mini-Con concluded, staring at his pedes.

Arguing with the mentally defeated hostage looked pointless. Nolan inserted the tip of his blade between the ring and the armor and began sawing the metal. The chain shattered like plastic; Downshift must have been depending on the Mini-Con's weakened state. Wind Sheer collapsed on Nolan like a column, almost knocking the guy off feet. Nolan broke the cuffs with his Glaive and stabbed the sword into the ground. It was too quiet — had the battle come to an end?

No, that shout he'd just heard, a cheer for the almighty Prime had left Cannonspring's vocalizers. His curiosity getting the best of him, Nolan seated the unconscious Mini-Con close to the panel and peeked from behind the cannon. Pinion and his group were lining up before the Shifters. Amalgamous stood in front of his soldiers, obviously trying to reason with someone. It turned out to be the Mikoyan circulating above ground; its shadow was running around the Prime like a pet dog, only the loyal _animal_ wasn't holding down its rotary cannon. He, in fact, wasn't an ordinary jet. The Foxbat's wings sunk into the armor by half as the jet began changing forms. With his engines and wings now standing out on his back, the mech stepped closer to the Shifter leader, meeting him face to face.

Nolan no longer understood their speech though. He felt like something's changed in his inventory, yet the sword was in its place, so was the grappling hook. However, he caught a wire hanging loose from his pocket — an earphone. Curious, he stuck it into his ear and voila! The human heard their speech again.

"–I have never expected you to turn on us, brother,–" the bronze mech spoke. His white visor lit up in blue as he took out two blades from his subspace and thrust them into the grass.

Ancient Cyberglyphs marked each sword, which were as like as two peas in a pod. Amalgamous glanced at the swords, then at his brother, then again at the weapons but refrained from saying anything in response.

"–The following of Onyx's ideals has made you too blind to question you motives,–" the flier continued in a rather displeased tone. "–You have killed human children for your own selfish agendas and now wish to continue this slaughter till you earn what you desire?! This is not what we have sworn to our Creator!–"

Amalgamous chuckled at that rant. "My, my, my, Nexus, have you come all the way here from Nebulos to read me a report of my recent unacceptable by the Primes deeds? You really expect me to give up on all of my progress just because my _brother_ has finally decided to _care_ for me, eh?" the Shifter laughed, pointing a digit at him. "Mind I remind you that you were also one of Onyx's followers, which means you had gone against Prima as well as I?"

"–I admit I had, and it is a mistake that will hunt me down for the rest of my life cycle," Nexus Prime confessed. He took hold of the left blade's handle and pulled it towards himself like a lever. "In spite of that, I pay off for my sins by stopping Onyx and you ruining this planet as The Fallen and the Liege Maximo did with the others!"

"Onyx long ago joined the Well of All Sparks, you old coot! We both saw how the Fallen decapitated him in the Pits," the Shifter corrected, pulling the other sword toward himself. "The Liege Maximo is, in fact, the one trying to stop The Fallen's Decepticons from rising again. I have seen how they demolished city after city, planet after planet! It is their fault and only theirs that Cybertron and Primus are now a part of our race's history!"

Nexus lowered his wings and leaned closer to his brother. "The Liege Maximo was buried on Earth millions of years ago! You have not noticed how easily he's pulled the wool over your eyes, brother! Onyx lives—"

"Argh, I have had enough of your fairytales!" Amalgamous roared into his sibling's face. "You speak like the Autobots and their leader Optimus Prime, who does nothing besides making promises! And you know what? They have achieved nothing!"

Their swords connected. Nolan hadn't even noticed how they drew them out. Amalgamous' blade ignited in dark energy that was swirling along its tip, cloaking the weapon in black sparks, while Nexus Prime now held _nothing_. Nolan wiped his eyes; an invisible force was keeping the Shifter's blade from tearing through his brother's armor, yet the winged Prime seemingly held nothing in his open palm. Amalgamous broke them apart and assaulted his brother's left servo, only for his blade to be blocked again.

"Choosing the Chaos Edge does not give you an advantage, Nexus," the Shifter declared. "I always win, regardless of the enemy I face, and with the Omni Saber, my chances exceed yours drastically. **Ha. Ha. Ha.**"

But the Prime had never delivered his final blow. Nexus' invisible force revealed itself as a sword combined with the back side of his arm. He swept away his brother's blade and punched him into the chest plating that bent under the force, leaving a shallow indentation. Nolan gasped as the dented metal was covered up by an extra plate that sealed the dent as if nothing had ever been there.

"Your arrogance is your own worst enemy, Amalgamous, my brother," Nexus noted. He grunted as the Prime slashed at him. "Your Shifter skills in sealing damaged areas may help you at first, but spare parts are not of infinite quantities. I _will _break through all defenses just to make you realize this!"

Sparks showered to the ground as Amalgamous pressed on his sword. Slowly but with success the Shifter shattered the rival's steadiness. Nexus Prime's pedes sunk into the ground, as his brother pushed him ahead like a bull in attempt to keep him away from the Cannon.

For a moment, Nolan felt like someone was approaching him from behind. Looking around, he found Wind Sheer still in his place close to the guy. The guy shuddered as something fell down not too far from him. With the Glaive upon his sleeve, he planned on sneaking up to the cannon's center but was stopped by the speech of his ally.

"–Is cheating what you always do, Amalgamous Prime? I can clearly see the way you lean onto the sword to bring down your only brother,–" Gallant's voice boomed throughout the field. "–That is not how an honored swordsman fights.–"

All optics were directed to the weapon. Amalgamous dropped the saber while Nexus stuck his into the ground again. Pinion and his group hustled to their leader's side, aiming guns, rifles, cannons, and blasters at the Pulsar, with the Shifters following their example. Amalgamous passed his soldiers and came closer to the cannon with no weaponry in his hands but with a scowl planted on his face.

"–This is not how we have agreed to this deal. Trade us the Mini-Con and take what you crave so much,–" he began to bargain, his voice desperate. "–We are in no need of this artifact any longer. Take it if you please.–"

"–It is not what **I**wish, Prime. The Crack Team and I no longer cooperate. You can pretend to be unaware of my real will. I shall not change my mind regardless of your next action.–"

Even though he was concealed to the guy, he knew Gallant was hiding or perhaps operating the Pulsar already. Judging by the Prime's petrified state, it was the second guess. Nolan clasped the Corona Glaive's handle as a sharp object poked his shoulder blade. He readied the sword, and the unknown seemed to have noticed that as he seized the guy by the hand.

"It's me, fleshling," Starscream whispered in an angry voice. He let go of the human and leaned against the Pulsar's armor. As if having read the guy's irritated look, he answered, "Don't be concerned about Payload. He's with Banes and Soundwave. They have reunited with Ravage and are in pursuit of Ironhide. Is there anything else you want to know?"

While Nolan couldn't hide his surprised look when he found out about Mikaela's arrival, the guy had to refrain from continuing the chat. He didn't like the sudden silence in the field. Amalgamous couldn't have just given in to Gallant that easily.

"Know: no. Say: yes," Nolan answered, turning away from the Seeker. "Clam up."

"–Amalgamous's obviously the reason why your partner's dead; I know how you feel, I really do, Gallant! But it doesn't mean you should kill everyone else walking on this land!–" the bronze mech with the Toyota insignia claimed. "–You're doing it not like a rational scientist we once knew! It's not fair in regard to humanity — they haven't done anything wrong to deserve such fate!–"

"–Ahem. Placing a bounty on our heads sounds _fair_ to you, Cannonspring?–" the Mazda butted in.

His brothers gave him a sour look. Nolan shrunk into himself, biting his lips. Not that he didn't support Cannonspring's point of view; no matter how pleasing and relieving it could sound for a child or a family or even a random passerby's ears in a street, the explanation screamed "naive". Either the Toyota rider was at a loss for words or he was too nervous to come up with anything a tad more convincing.

"–Your statement makes me think this situation over,–" Gallant admitted in a low voice.

Yes! The immature yet touching comment had worked after all. Nolan stuck the Glaive into the ground and rubbed his palm against the other, whispering praise to the bronze Toyota racer. Starscream, unlike the human, stayed mute. He poked the guy into the ribs and when the boy looked at the Seeker, he pointed at the sword, shaking his head, to the human's dismay.

"–Too bad I do not trust the words,–" the knight paused, before roaring, "of a creation of a Prime!–"

"–Gallant, this is madness!–" Nexus Prime shouted to the scientist.

Yet he was never heard.

Nolan's jaw dropped as a ticking sound had come from the cannon. Starscream tugged the human by the arm towards the forest he had come from. With a nod the guy scooped Wind Sheer up, who would have almost brought them both down to the ground if it hadn't been for the guy almost doing a right split. Nolan snarled as he crooked the right knee and pushed himself upwards. He pressed his left foot against the ground and finally rose to his feet before rushing after his ally; Starscream was waiting next to the machine's edge for some reason.

"We're trapped in a force field!" the Decepticon cried out. He clenched his hands and took out a blaster.

"Don't be so stupid, Starscream! We don't want Gallant finding out we're stuck in here!" Nolan reminded.

Realizing the error, Starscream stepped back, but the way he was staring at something behind his back caused Nolan to turn around. Cables attached to the cannon were glowing as the Synthetic Energon flooded to the barrel; buzzing was coming from inside of the machine. Its top barrel moved into a horizontal position, now facing Nexus Prime's direction. The two side pipes were already collecting yellow energy.

Yet that was when everything had slowed down. Creaking and gritting was making the human's eardrums ring; the Pulsar emitted a faint whine; the Energon charge had stopped. The process had frozen completely until Chaindrive's voice rang in the field, "–Fall back! It's about to blow!–"

He slowly turned around. Starscream was shooting the shield with the blaster in his right servo and punching the defense with his left. Smoke was streaming out of the weapon; the Seeker tossed it aside, cursing and snarling under his venting. Nolan grabbed the Decepticon by the wrist when he was about to slash the shield: a pointless attempt; they would never get out, not any other circumstance. The human winced as Starscream sunk his sharp digits into the guy's thumb, with a death glare opposing Nolan's face, demanding to be unhanded. They both gasped in shock; the shield was flickering. Sparks were flying as the force broke like glass and showered to the ground.

Nolan glanced back at the cannon. It was shuddering, whistling in warning to an upcoming explosion. Quickly, he pulled the Seeker by the servo in attempt to awaken him from the daze, but Starscream didn't react to his calls or touches. Nolan couldn't move him — the Decepticon just stood there, watching the Pulsar enveloped in the shine of Energon. He saw interest in the mech's optics, a wish to come closer, but no fear, **no fear at all. **His teeth ground, Nolan stamped on the Decepticon's toes; it had made Starscream's wings jolt up. The human yelled at him, only to get a pair of lost blue optics stare at the human as if he were a complete stranger. Nolan screamed.

"Starscream, run!"

But they hadn't made it in time. A loud clap that reminded a thunder echoed throughout the field before dying down into a shrill, high-pitched sound. Intense light covered the duo; the shrieking of metal had knocked the human senseless. His ears were pounding; he only heard that weird, continuous humming of a broken machine. Nolan's heart sunk as spikes and shards flew right through him! Flames were swirling around his feet, liquid Energon was spreading around him, yet he couldn't feel any of it! He felt nothing but the pinging in his ears, which meant the human wasn't dreaming.

Holding his companion by the wrist, Nolan limped to a fallen tree safe from catching fire and settled Wind Sheer against the trunk. The human coughed as he finally felt the black smoke whirling around the battlefield — the smell of burnt oil, metal, and Energon. He now felt the heat of the bright flames baking his face and the headache he got from the horrible smell. A lump of metal burning in amber fire, yellow puddles evaporating into dark gases — all that was left of the mighty cannon. Steel sheets bent and torn into shards were sticking out of the wet in oil ground. The field around them was set on fire till a jet of water sprinkled on the fire wall. Nolan's heart drummed louder in response to a voice. He had just heard Pinion.

"Pinion, we're over here! Pinion!" Nolan yelled at the top of his voice.

The stream was redirected to his side, extinguishing the flames around them. Worried voices sounded from the smoke before a shadow emerged in the screen. Nolan smiled to himself; Mikaela was running towards him with Soundwave and Ravage following close behind. The feline was growling at him in electric cracks, glaring at the human. Its owner shared the cat's expression, but he hid it as soon as they approached the duo.

"Are you all right?" Mikaela questioned in a worried voice. She held an unusually saddened expression, which they guy found quite amusing. "What's so funny?"

"And there I thought you'd remind me of your principle regarding myself from school: 'Nolan, I'd never care what trouble you got yourself into'," Nolan quoted, with his tongue sticking up teasingly. "Funny. It has turned the other way around."

The girl rolled her eyes. "You're such a jerk, Nolan, and I don't even know how to describe that," she admitted. Mikaela's glee vanished when she looked at Wind Sheer. "Forget it. The Mini-Con needs medical attention."

Soundwave switched to vehicle mode and opened the back and front doors, letting Ravage take the seat next to the driver. With the help of Mikaela, Nolan seated the Mini-Con into the back and let the girl take the place next to him to prevent the mech from falling. The guy himself was about to get in when he noticed Starscream standing a yard away from the car.

"Hey, Starscream, you coming?" Nolan shouted to the Seeker.

What he had just seen was beyond his understanding: ghostly blue optics glanced at the guy before the mech just bolted off into the fire. Bewildered, Nolan hurried in pursuit, shouting for Soundwave to leave without them. He followed Starscream to where the cannon used to be. Burning fuel was causing tears to stream down the guy's cheeks. With each breath made the guy would sneeze. Yellow smog was obscuring his vision; he no longer saw the mech till the tall figure of Nexus Prime appeared in the smokescreen. Nolan stopped in his tracks as he heard Starscream yelling in hysteria.

"Why have you lied to me?!" the Seeker bawled, with his wings raised like a pair of dog ears, about to bite the Ancient's head off. "What did you want to earn from this? My trust—"

"Listen, Seeker, it's not what you think it is," the Prime reassured him, only to be interrupted again.

"**Not** what I think it is?! No, I've got everything **right**: you've just used me to get Kierra the **fragging** badge!" Starscream screamed, his voice extremely high and screechy. "She's _your _agent; I've caught her sending coordinates over to **you** in Egypt! That's why you've sent Sonar, her, and another human after me — to use me in **your hunt**!"

Nolan rubbed his ears that were aching from the high-pitched voice, but they didn't hurt the way the Seeker's words did. He was left bewildered by the fact that Starscream was more than aware of the truth, and he even knew more than the guy did. Nolan shuddered as the Seeker roared at the Prime before storming off past the guy, dropping a blue claw keychain after himself. Nolan picked it up and looked at the item then at Nexus.

"So Kierra's your agent," Nolan repeated, staring at the badge.

"She is, but we wished her to ally with you to provide better cover for both Starscream and her," Nexus Prime tried to rationalize. Although he had managed to mask a part of it, guilt was still present in his voice. "I did not want him to suspect us, so I sent him on this quest to earn himself a cure. Amalgamous' personal appearance was unplanned. That is why I've asked Pinion to break cover."

The human placed the badge into his pocket and turned around, walking towards the forest. "If Soundwave's aware of this, so is Dead End," Nolan said. "Your team is more than welcome to our base, Nexus Prime."

Those words sounded careless, even a bit too much when the guy thought about it, yet he worried less about the Ancient, rather more about the Seeker. The experience wouldn't be forgotten any soon, if it ever would be; coping with that wouldn't be easy, since Starscream seemed to trust Kierra a lot more than the others. Nolan stood at the bottom of the list with Soundwave and Barricade, as far as the Decepticon technician had claimed before. Now, he didn't really know who could acquire any position in that hit parade of trust even if Mikaela was the second person the Seeker could depend on.

Nolan hadn't really noticed how he walked into the Ground Bridge gate. He hadn't heard Ravage's questions or better to say, understood them, as his "translation device" — a _gift_ from Soundwave that he had forgotten about — was pulverized by the shock wave. Speaking of that, the way they survived was still bringing up many questions without any logical answers. Nolan didn't believe in miracles. Something or someone had saved their lives, but what? He had to find out on his own.

"I just can't believe this!" Dualor's voice rang in the gate.

"Yeah, me no believe too!" Catilla supported the dinosaur.

Something was up, but it didn't seem to concern Starscream, as the Mini-Cons were happy about something. Nolan rushed out of the gate. His breathing stopped. In the middle of the room Mikaela was hugging a person a bit taller than her. Sunglasses were masking his eyes, yet without doubt it was the person she'd been searching for two months, for two frigging months! His gloom washed away by joy, Nolan forced a smile to his lips as he joined the Mini-Cons' side, watching Mikaela kiss her father on the cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, Mikaela's finally reunited with her family! At least they've reached one of their goals, but how's the team going to cope with Starscream's <em>hate<em> for them? Coming up in the next chapter. Since I'm going on vacation the next Wednesday for two weeks, I won't be able to post. I will be able to write though. I'll post bonus chapters when I come back. Promise!**

**Small note: to those who are wondering, the tree Nolan caught isn't a tree, nor is it a cactus. It's an agave, which is a plant. Its bloom stalk pretty much resembles a tree while its leaves look a lot like a cactus. Confusing, isn't it? **


	21. Chapter 21: Three of Three

**Hey, guys! Chapter 21 is finally up (took me a while to get that one done though...). Anyway, thanks a lot to everyone for following the story. Your support is very appreciated!**

**Well, here's chapter 21. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21<strong>

**Three of Three**

Mikaela couldn't believe this. After months of searching she'd finally found her dad lead by the girl who had been working with him all along. Although she had thought several times about having a talk with both allies, she had never actually tried to speak to either of them.

But honestly, what would she gain from that?

She'd earned what she'd wished for, so why worry about the reasons? Maybe Mikaela didn't have to bring up that topic, but the current meeting they were having let several questions reach the surface.

"What do you mean we can't do all of this at once? We had planned the operation on our own! If it hadn't been for us, the Crack Team's forces would have reclaimed the cannon!" Chaindrive shouted. His fist rammed into table, leaving a deep cavity in the weak metal.

"Such smart words, such convincing ideas, Chaindrive," the Jaguar rider laughed. "Makes me wonder why Nexus Prime chose Pinion as his Second-In-Command. You could _really _be a worthy rival."

"Mainspring, Chaindrive, do us a favor," Cannonspring requested, gaining everyone's attention. "Stay out of this conversation."

Chaindrive crossed his servos, bumbling something to himself. Mikaela could clearly hear him mentioning the Toyota rider's name in his rants, since the mech was sitting below the observation platform. Unlike his comrade, Mainspring piped down and turned his helm to the right, away from the enraged Cannonspring's gaze.

"Yeah right, the feet always get to lick the ground," the Jaguar rider said in a hoarse whisper.

Mikaela frowned at that comment. _'Huh? What's that supposed to mean?' _she wondered.

"To answer your question, Dualor," Nexus Prime began. "We have come up with three main objectives. One of them is to find Astroscope, the remaining Requiem Blaster component."

"Which we cannot complete without the last key, the U-Tooth," Pinion added.

The SIC leaned back in the chair, lifting its front legs off the floor. It tilted back then the mech pushed it forward and kept swinging until the metal emitted a faint whine. Mikaela sighed in annoyance. Out of all the members of the Ancient's crew, Cannonspring was the only one taking the deal seriously enough, besides Nexus himself of course. The remaining three racers either were too busy with themselves —someone like Chaindrive—, goofing off all the time, like Mainspring, or not abiding to any rules at all, which fitted Pinion's character perfectly. How those three hadn't rattled the Prime's patience yet — a scene beyond the girl's knowledge. Last time she talked with her father, the man mentioned the Ancient hadn't ever shouted at them. Well, around him at least.

"According to our surveillance results…" Colin said. He coughed once to earn the group's attention. The man unfolded a yellow tube in front of the mechs.

Although she couldn't quite see the keys and the cities, Mikaela recognized the continent's form as South America. Some arrows and lines were drawn closer to the north with a series of dots were marking territories unknown to her, perhaps the highly populated areas, major forests or elevations.

"And this map as well, Astroscope's Mini-Con partner is kept in a storage panel hidden deep in the Caxiuanã National Forest in Brazil," her father continued, pointing at the end of the Amazon river. "That Mini-Con holds the last device, the U-Tooth."

Nexus Prime nodded at the human. "Thank you, Colin," he said. "Then comes our next objective: restoring the city of Chicago. From the data I've received from Dead End, Thundercracker, and Soundwave, the Energon was stopped from spreading in the sea and on ground by an unidentified force." The Prime looked at Dead End who was observing the group from the opposite side of the table.

"Nolan has given me. A formula he found in. One of Gallant's books. The writing is clearly ancient Cybertronian, yet due to the half of it. Is indistinct. It cannot be. Restored," the Decepticon explained. "But. Micronus Prime. Has left his starship unprotected in Tranquility. The answers could be hidden. On the ship."

"I believe the human team can take on this task," Cannonspring hinted. "Since the ship was operated by Mini-Cons, our human allies are perhaps the only forces we can send to investigate."

"Way to state the obvious," Barricade pointed out. He took the goblet of Energon from Mainspring and drank it down right before the Toyota's optics. "Unless you wanted to turn **us** into a Mini-Con like Starscream and go get the formulas on our own," the Decepticon added with a snort.

Unlike Barricade, who was sitting with his back turned to Mikaela, Cannonspring was visible to the girl. She could clearly see his every shudder and wince. The mechanic sighed in disbelief when the Toyota racer grabbed hold of the table, about to rise to meet the Decepticon optic to optic, only for Nexus to start speaking instead of him.

"It may be obvious to you, Barricade, but I would have found it more evident if my subordinate had mentioned our followers Catilla and Dualor," the Prime said calmly, even a bit flatly. "They are Mini-Cons, are they not?"

A quiet chuckle escaped the Decepticon when he caught Cannospring's glare. He folded his arms on the table yet didn't continue the topic.

"Of course they are, but let's not get off topic," the Ancient answered himself. "Our last objective is to locate the Crack Team's base, formerly Liege Maximo's warship."

Yet again, Pinion butted in, "Our scanners haven't managed to find the ship yet, but we're giving full measure to find that rascal. We will need the best surveillance officers in this one."

"And the strongest army to break the Terrorcon army once and for all!" Cannonspring finished the idea.

Nexus Prime answered with a short _Yes_. Everyone averted their gazes to the Ancient, including the humans.

"Certainly, it is impossible to complete all of them at the same time as a _crowd_," the Prime emphasized with a quiet chuckle.

The other members of the chat besides the Prime, Dead End, and Pinion looked at Chaindrive, who turned away from the team, grumbling to himself. Barricade couldn't help but let a snicker escape his vocals.

"That is why we should divide into teams and complete each point, as all of them are connected between each other. It is like chemistry: if a wrong element is added or a particular condition is skipped, the chemical reaction might occur slowly, or might not happen at all," Nexus Prime clarified. "Have I answered to all questions, or are there still ideas I haven't covered in this discussion?"

Mikaela wished to raise her hand, but a whisper of her name forced her to turn around. Kierra was waving at her from the observation platform's exit. Mikaela shook her head in denial: she didn't want to leave just yet, not until she got to answer all of her questions. However, when Nolan joined the girl's side, she grew suspicious. Something was up. Running past her father was easy, as the man was too absorbed in the topic.

"What is it, you two?" Mikaela whispered, displeased. "What can be more important than this?"

"We can't find Starscream anywhere!" Nolan shouted, only to be shushed by Kierra. "He hasn't come to the meeting, neither has he come to get breakfast."

"How about the ventilation shafts?" the mechanic reminded. "You said you found him there last time."

"Catilla's checked every single corner. His scent's one of the sharpest," Nolan claimed.

"Crap. And when things started going our way..." Mikaela complained. Then she got the idea. "Wait a second. You haven't told me what happened yesterday anyway. Starscream has been acting weird since Soundwave and I came to pick you two up. He refused any medical aid besides Nexus' cure. Why?"

Nolan looked at Kierra, who rubbed her face with both hands. "Starscream's mad at me, because I haven't told him about the incident from the start," the teen explained. "I've known him ever since Sonar and my other friend rescued Thundercracker and him from the Crack Team."

The teen sniffed as she muttered about the friend. "I knew the Colonel was on my side, since he also worked with Nexus Prime after he'd found out Amalgamous killed his son Dan for an attempt to steal the Pulsar's drawings."

'_That freak was on our side? Ugh, whatever,' _Mikaela wondered. _'I won't ever forgive that runt for pushing me down the chute!'_

"Richard helped us get into the base and keep Gallant from disassembling Thundercracker and Starscream," the teen paused, crossing her arms. Mikaela caught hints of guilt in her voice. "He couldn't help us escape through. Thundercracker wasn't like Starscream; he took off right away, but convincing Starscream was not that easy..."

"He was corrupted by the virus," Nolan guessed. "I bet he didn't listen to you."

Kierra nodded weakly. "He tried everything to inform Micronus till Sonar knocked him out. We did get away but Starscream escaped from us a week later," she told. "Sonar's scanners detected him in Tranquility two weeks after we had searched Ohio through and through."

"Oh, so he's the alien that attacked a gas station and left people with numerous types of burns. I've seen some teens and kids plotting revenge on one website," Nolan remembered.

"I think everyone's aware of that, smart ass," Mikaela interrupted. She gave the guy a wink, hinting for him to keep quiet. "Continue, Kierra."

"The Colonel told us Micronus sent Gallant and him to Metropolis Park. We found Gallant ready to execute him, so Sonar got in the way and was killed..." Kierra said, lowering her head. "Starscream hadn't recognized me at all. When I tried convincing him we were on his side, the Trojan took over. It was like every time I mentioned that he would go nuts. That's why I didn't want to bring up that topic around him or anyone, even you guys... I'm sorry."

"And the question of him stuck in this form added fuel to the fire," Nolan finished for the girl.

"Wait a sec, but what about the cure Nexus gave him?" Mikaela questioned. She squeezed her wrists when she caught him staring at the Ancient, frowning his eyebrows in anger.

"It only cures the Trojan. Nexus tried explaining that to him, but he wouldn't listen," the guy claimed, finally meeting her gaze. "Gaining his trust may be almost impossible now. I remember Thundercracker said once that 'Scream didn't trust anyone fully, even him. And since getting back to normal was the sole reason why the 'Con's been helping us..."

Mikaela interrupted the guy at that point, "There's always a way out, Nolan, Kierra," she declared, flinging her hands up. "Gallant couldn't have magically made him Mini-Con."

"Magically or not, he said this Starscream was one of the several clones manufactured from one," Nolan continued. "They all had Starscream's memories and thoughts."

"Gallant's not the kind of mech you can trust!" Kierra burst out suddenly.

Nolan and Mikaela shrunk into themselves. Luckily, no one had heard it; everyone was busy trying to calm Soundwave and Barricade down, who were about to bite each other's heads off. Dead End and Cannonspring were trying to pull them apart, with the Toyota holding the technician by the shoulders in attempt to drag him away from the table and a shivering Mainspring. Barricade in the meantime wouldn't stop teasing the mech. Out of all remarks she'd heard from the cop, Mikaela payed attention to the one about Laserbeak.

"I demand order!" Pinion barked, knocking his fist against the iron like a gavel.

Dead End had finally managed to seat Barricade after several rants escaped his vocalizers. Cannonspring was facing difficulty with the Decepticon technician until Soundwave shoved him off and left the room, not caring to look back.

"Oh crap, thing aren't going smoothly. Soundwave's our only chance of finding Starscream," Nolan said, grabbing hold of his head.

"Not really," Mikaela corrected him. "We've still got Ravage. I bet he's in the bay with Catilla and Sparkplug." Then she turned to the teen. "Kierra, go talk with him and find Starscream."

The girl didn't get her point at first. She the girl a nod, saying, "Right."

Kierra bolted towards the doors and soon vanished into the dark, her footsteps muffed by the arguments in the room. Nolan cocked a brow at his friend; Mikaela caught the meaning of his gesture without words.

"They have to sort things out on their own. We'll do even more damage if we horn in," Mikaela said, turning her back to the guy.

"What're you up to, Mika? Oh wait, I know, you're going after Soundwave," the guy guessed. Even though not visible, the girl knew he was grinning from ear to ear, just by hearing the amusement in his voice. "Growing attached to Decepticons, eh?"

"Nope, just improving our team's productivity. We _do _need more surveillance officers," Mikaela replied with a giggle.

Apparently, the guy hadn't caught the hint. "What are you getting at?" Nolan asked, scratching the back of his head.

But instead of telling him, the mechanic said, laughing," Tell me how the meeting will have ended."

Although the guy seemingly had something else to say, Mikaela never heard him. She had already reached the middle of the hallway and stopped not quite far from the conference hall — as Dead End called it — to regain her breath. The girl was sure she'd seen a blink of white in another chamber to her left. Mistaking someone else for the technician seemed impossible, since when she peeked into the room, the human saw the white mech taking weapons out from grey metallic crates. It looked like he hadn't noticed her, but the girl had a feeling that Soundwave was aware of her presence.

Mikaela knocked on the door. "Soundwave, may I come in?" she requested.

"I'm not returning to that meeting, human, no matter what you offer," the mech said, apparently calm. But a sting of anger was still noticeable in his voice. "Don't waste your time."

She entered. Soundwave didn't notice her and perhaps, didn't want to. Mikaela cocked her eye brow at the sight of a mountain of weapons beside the hunkered Decepticon. Rifles, blasters, rotary cannons, machine guns, explosives — she recognized just a half of what was piled into an Everest for the human.

"It's not about the meeting," Mikaela claimed. "I know you're after Laserbeak."

Two pistols fell out of Soundwave's hands. He turned around, optics blazing in rage. "Even if I am, it is my business, not yours," the mech said through his dentals. "Get out of my sight."

Soundwave picked the guns up and placed them on the box. He was sorting all the weapons by type: blasters with blasters, launchers with launchers, revolvers with revolvers. When a weapon didn't have a pair, the mech would put it back into its crate. After a while six pairs of different weapons were lying on the floor.

"Soundwave," Mikaela called loudly, determined to earn his attention. "I think I've seen Laserbeak in Chicago."

The Decepticon answered instantly, "I _think_ I've told you to leave."

"Listen, even if you have all of those weapons, you can't defeat the Crack Team on your own!" Mikaela said in attempt to reason with the mech. "We don't know how big their forces are!"

"Human, your concern is **counterproductive**," the technician announced. "Go mind your own business. I do **not** need nobody's help in my duties."

Taking all of the guns, Soundwave turned towards the exit. Mikaela couldn't hold her rant any longer. She growled in frustration loud enough for the mech to overhear and stop. He turned his helm to glance at the human before placing all the weapons on a counter next to the door.

"Decepticons do **not** work in teams. It is the way we have been following since our faction's creation," Soundwave explained. "We are used to working in **groups** where a leader decides _where_ to shoot, _whom_ to shoot, and _why_ to shoot. Teamwork is understood only among certain grounders and Combiners. In other units, subordinates do not deserve an opinion."

"So Ravage and Laserbeak are also your subordinates," the mechanic pointed out. She placed her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer.

"Tell me," Soundwave began, folding his servos. "What is the point of this chatter?"

"Before Catilla and I had found you in that building, I felt like someone was following me around. Someone even locked Starscream up in a closet. And when I found two pictures in Dylan Gould's office, I saw a shadow of a bird in the room," Mikaela swore. "Could that be Laserbeak?"

Soundwave collected the weapons in silence and headed out of the room. Mikaela sighed; she hadn't managed to persuade the mech.

"Gather all of your belongings. I'll be waiting next to the Ground Bridge. Do not make me wait," Soundwave's voice came from the hallway.

* * *

><p>Kierra reached the middle of the farm. She found the wheel tracks Nolan had told her about before. They were leading to a barn on the other side of the field. At first it seemed like a tornado had passed through the area. Rusty flat bars and scrap were scattered around the building. Wooden windmill blades were decaying next to a tractor. The teen's gaze fell on the vehicle. Bullets had left nothing of the door. The machine's roof was scorched, with yellow crystals biting into the paint.<p>

Having approached the barn, Kierra found no lock on the doors. She bent down and caught it lying sliced into two in a bucket under a nailed window. The teen tugged the handle, pressing her foot against the other door when it didn't budge. The wood whined and shuddered after each pull, but then the door thrust open. Kierra had lost her tongue.

A jet nose was pointing out of a haystack. Lying close to the farthest corner was a wing covered in black Cybertronian tattoos. The other part didn't seem to be anywhere nearby. At least she thought so until her eye caught another rick to her left, where the second piece was shining from under the grass. Kierra soon found the smaller parts gathered in a corner away from the nose cone.

She heard a noise of metal being hit by metal. The scrap heap before her was shaking; a long armor piece was pulled out of the mountain, making the other sheets slide down to the floor. Starscream came out from behind the scrap. He dropped the metal leaf. Their eyes met.

"Hi."

Starscream picked up his item and continued the job. He selected long armor pieces and placed them closer to the first one. The Seeker was trying to ignore her, yet it wasn't going that well. Instead of focusing his attention on carefully piling up the metal, the mech was more occupied with putting the sheets as father from the human as possible. Kierra had waited till the moment when he brought the tenth part. She sat down on the hay. So did he. But unlike her, Starscream was busy placing all the pieces into their places just like a puzzle. It didn't take long for the human to realize what that was.

"Is that a tailfin?" she asked.

Kierra got up to see the result. She hadn't mistaken; it was in fact a vertical stabilizer, but only half of it was gathered in front of her. Starscream got up and was about to head again towards the scrap heap only for Kierra to ask him yet another question.

"Need some help?"

Starscream turned around and crossed his servos. "Yes," he said. "Give me space."

The girl stepped away from the fin. "Like this?" she questioned.

"I meant leave, vermin. That's the best you can do," the Seeker said and left to fetch some more parts.

"Starscream, that ain't the way," the girl stated shortly and clearly. She was keeping her distance... for now. "Gathering a jet like this will take decades."

"I have plenty of time for that."

Starscream was playing hard again. His stubborn nature proved really hard to get through. Yet giving up wasn't an option either. Perhaps, the girl had been playing the game of secrets for too long.

"Starscream, I won't leave until we talk," the girl stated. "Do what you want, but I won't leave."

"All right, human, let's talk," the Seeker said through his dentals. "What have you _not_ found out about me yet?"

Kierra sat on a dry tree stump before the window. "I haven't been following to pump information from you, Starscream. I wanted you to remember things on your own. You know very well you would never believe me at that time."

"I wouldn't, and I won't right now," the Decepticon reassured the girl while sorting the scrap in the pile. "But what is there to believe in if I know far more than I should? Oh wait, silly me, I still do **not** know what you are hiding from your human friends; I guess I will never find out."

_'Keeping secrets is impossible from this guy. And I thought I've kept the secret about the mask good enough,'_ Kierra thought, doing her best to keep a straight face. She shuddered when the Seeker dropped a beam next to her. "Tell you what, Starscream, I admit that Sonar and I rescued you for a reason. It has a lot to do with you personally."

"Hmm... Makes me wonder why out of eleven clones you chose **me**," Starscream stressed.

"There were twenty."

"Same difference."

"There is a difference: nineteen were clones while the first one was built after the original."

"I think I've heard that before," he interrupted, "from your friend Nexus Prime."

"Gallant disarmed the original bot and let the Colonel set a new weapon instead. Richard never told him what the artifact really was. Gallant thought the Terrorcon had it, but the Colonel replaced it with a fake one," Kierra explained. "Richard set it in his left shoulder arm."

Her words sounded last in the conversation. Starscream was staring at his left servo. He removed a weak panel that came off like an unnecessary part. Another panel turned out to be under the plate only with a green badge magnetized to it. Starscream removed the claw from his arm.

"That's the U-Tooth. Like its two _brothers_ it lets the user use any weapon they want," the teen explained. "It lets you use some of your old gadgets. If you had read Sonar's datapad I gave you on the starship, you would have found things out a lot earlier."

She got up from the stump and headed towards the exit. Kierra looked back. Starscream sat down and was eyeing the badge, swinging it back and forth in front of his optics. Then the teen noticed something on his right foot. A ring with a silver and green round base was attached to his armor. The Seeker must have felt her sharp gaze and looked at the device. Frowning, he removed the item and began examining it.

"A Phase Shifter... This artifact must have saved Nolan and I from the Cannon's detonation," Starscream guessed. "Hmm, somehow Downshift's device has followed me along."

He then looked at the girl again and got up. "You were asking whether I needed help," the mech reminded, somewhat awkwardly, especially when he crossed his servos behind his back. "I would... Uh, I need you help me carry the parts to Thundercracker's base. But I must comm him first."

_'I know it's... him in reality... But this form's beyond repair!'_ Kierra screamed in her mind. _'Ugh, at least he's got __**some**__ hope.'_

For that time. She still couldn't get why the Seeker wished to drag the jet to Thundercracker's base. His plans were kept in secret. Well, maybe he'd hinted on the idea earlier, but Kierra hadn't grasped it yet.

Mikaela had the same story only with Soundwave. Although she was beyond satisfied with achieving her goal, the girl had no idea what the technician had come up with. They were riding through the city in silence, with Soundwave sometimes looping around a lamp, a kiosk, or even a tall skyscraper. He had been gathering intelligence for two hours. After the fourth circle round the Held Square Monument, Mikaela's patience had finally given out.

"Soundwave, will you at least tell me what **kind** of data you are gathering?" she asked, cursing the trip in her mind. _'I won't stand the __**Decepticon**__ explanation.'_

"Energon readings," Soundwave answered rather quickly and shortly, but definitely not clearly.

"How are they related?" Mikaela raised another question. "Do Terrorcons leave a special trail or what?"

"No," the Mercedes answered matter-of-factly, as if the human had asked him the most ridiculous question of all. "Laserbeak has not been turned into a Terrorcon but programmed to gather Energon samples. I am examining the age of the sites they've taken samples from."

Mikaela looked out of the window. "But there are no crystals here," she noted.

She could have sworn she heard the mech groan. "Question: does your source of re-energizing come in two states of matter?" he questioned but didn't let her answer. "Yes, it does. So does Energon. And why is Chicago a ghost city now? Because the sea is polluted with toxic Dark Energon discharges. And what is connected to the sea? The human sewage system."

"Don't go on," Mikaela requested. _'His creativity sweeps off scale.' _She noticed a message that lit up on a navigator screen right away.

"_Make no noise. Enemies up ahead."_

Soundwave parked behind a shop wall. Two mechs tearing Synth En out of a truck on the other side. Mikaela was watching the duo through a rectangular hole left by a row of fallen bricks. While they had no faction insignias, those were clearly Shifters gathering the crystals, yet for what reason? The girl didn't remember Amalgamous using any of them in his plans, unless the Prime had lied. Mikaela averted her gaze to the dashboard again. Another message from her driver distracted the human from the scene.

"_Those are the Shifters we need. They will guide us to the Crack Team's Energon reserves where Laserbeak should be kept."_

Whether the mech had cameras in the salon or not, she didn't know; she nodded anyway. Mikaela slid down the chair when a voice boomed through the mech's radio. Taking a breath, she looked at the control panel.

"_Voice recording. Listen carefully."_

_'You could have written that a lot earlier!'_ the girl exclaimed in her mind.

::Are you sure this whole honor talk is serious? Amalgamous first says, _"Oh, Dark Energon's evil, so evil!"_ and blah, blah, blah! Then he just sends us here to collect the stuff!:: the Shifter with the ape hangers on his helm complained, tossing a transparent cube at his ally. ::I think we've been had, Sizzleflame.::

The taller mech glanced at his comrade yet said nothing. He went on tossing the crystals into the cube till the latter kicked him into the thigh.

::I'm talking to you, you rusty kite!:: the biker snarled.

Sizzleflame's wings jolted up in response. He rose to his pedes and was now towering over the tiny Shifter. ::Frag off, kid. Not only do I have to tolerate your presence, but I also have to work for the both of us!:: the old mech roared. ::Either you get your lazy aft up, or I'll scrap you before Makeshift gets the chance::

::You don't have to be so mean about it...:: his companion said in a low voice. ::You're like the only mech who **talks**. Everyone else ignores me, even that fancy birdy of Makeshift's!::

Mikaela concentrated on listening to the biker's speech_. 'This could be useful,'_ she thought and checked the navigator. Soundwave was staying quiet.

::That's way too obvious, Tail Gunner. You tend to be a real pain in the diode with your doubts and loud outbursts,:: Sizzleflame explained. ::Speaking of that bird, I suggest you keep your mouth shut. That _birdy _can record your speech and send it over to Makeshift in no time. Laserbeak is his number one weapon in gathering intelligence.::

_'Darn, so the __**Shifters**__ have him, not the Crack! But how come Soundwave knows that?'_ Mikaela wondered, placing her arms on the dashboard.

She froze. A white ray was traveling on the car's hood, swirling in circles round the center, where the engine was. Mikaela looked at the navigator and found nothing, not even a word. With a corner of her eye she saw the ray coming from a hole in a lonely tower surrounded by Synth En crystals.

"Soundwave, sniper to your right!" the human whispered.

"_Back down. Stay still. Monitored by Laserbeak from left green building. Two snipers from left and right. One spy behind."_

"So... What next?" Mikaela dared to ask. Her fingers ran along the dashboard, towards the wheel and back. She blew her hair out of her sight, without turning away from the screen.

"We improvise."

Mikaela stammered at yet another _"What". _She saw herself gaping at the navigator in the rear-view mirror. The girl shuddered as Soundwave ignited the engines.

Three rapid shots echoed in the field. A bullet zipped past the car's wings. Mikaela caught a third Shifter standing behind Sizzleflame and Tail Gunner, with a rifle directed at the Mercedes. Instantly, all sides opened fire while Laserbeak was still watching from the top. Her head hidden in her knees, Mikaela noticed the condor in the rear-view mirror. The bird stretched his neck as if curious but then dove down the building and vanished into the city. She yelped as Soundwave hit the reverse and under the rain of the bullets bolted after his target.

Mikaela felt how the seat belt was pressing her into the seat. She was jumping up and down like on a roller coaster ride. The girl glanced at the wing mirrors. Three Shifters were hanging on their tail. Blasters emerged from under their doors' armor and opened fire on the car. Mikaela pressed the button to open the window, yet the switch sunk into the panel.

"_Don't let them know of your presence, fool!"_ was written on the navigator's screen.

Something shifted on the front doors. They entered an avenue with trees and lamp posts _running _along the road. Mikaela sunk her nails into the belt when a shrill sound rang in her ears. Instantly, all trees and lamps they passed started falling on the road. Whistles of brakes had deafened her once again. Mikaela gasped as one of the elms landed on the Toyota's bumper, sending it sliding across the road into another tree. Another sedan tried driving around a fallen trunk and crashed into his ally's side; they ran off the road right into a parking lot, ramming into the abandoned cars. Two Shifters switched alt modes and hustled after Soundwave. They were jumping over each tree and post until transforming back and racing after the Mercedes.

Mikaela caught sight of Laserbeak flying above the opposite street. The condor was still monitoring but did nothing to stop the two. His optics flickered before he dove down into the street.

"Goddammit, it's getting away!" the girl cursed, slamming her fist into the dashboard. She felt the panel heat up under her skin and quickly removed her hand.

"Don't ever do that again," Soundwave warned in a flat voice. "Get ready to disembark."

Mikaela's jaw fell in shock. "What?!"

She didn't have a chance to complain. Everything began shifting in the salon. The belt slipped back; the four other seats folded; the doors opened, but in a different direction. They disappeared out of her sight, letting a pair of thick digits pull her out of the car. The girl shuddered as her head bumped against something hard, cold, rough — the Decepticon's armor.

"You can't run forever, Decepticon! The city is under our control now!" a Shifter called after the mech, his voice raucous as if he had a cold.

That odd noise sounded again but a lot weaker than before. The round panels on Soundwave's left servo were glowing in neon blue. Shielding her face with her arms, Mikaela gasped as the devices faced a power line. Worse than a microphone audio feedback the panels screeched. A cloud of dust surrounded the metal pole before it tiled to the left, about to block a tiny street. Soundwave sped towards the exact same place. Mikaela screamed as the post passed overhead. It rammed into a billboard that collapsed on top of the pole and covered the entrance.

"Phew…That should keep them busy," Mikaela said, putting her chin onto her arms.

"Those fools had no chance," Soundwave bragged.

He came to an abrupt stop and placed the human on the ground, looking back at the billboard. They heard the Shifters' curses from the other side, yet the mechs didn't try to clear the road. Instead, two car engines roared in the street. The two mech had left. Mikaela turned around when she overheard the Decepticon's tirade.

"Amalgamous has a too high opinion of himself to praise such simpletons. They're no different from that fool Barricade."

Mikaela followed the mech into an open street. _'It'll take a while for him to forget it,'_ she thought. "How long had you worked with Starscream?"

Soundwave stopped in his tracks and faced the human. Just what the girl expected to earn: a pair of raised brow ridges and a rather confused sharp gaze.

"Long enough to realize the coward cannot be trusted. You shall see what I mean when he gets what he's wished for," Soundwave warned. He turned around and took a right, often checking his surroundings. "Why has this question arisen right now?"

"Well, it's noticeable," Mikaela implied.

Although he hadn't answered yet, the girl noticed his shoulders jolted up in disgust.

"Do not compare me with Starscream, human. My loyalty cannot be sold that easily," the mech stated, with his voice raised two octaves higher.

"So it _can _be sold," the girl underlined his last words. She ran to the Decepticon, who had suddenly stopped.

Soundwave gave her a sidelong glance and shook his helm. "In case if the cause no longer means anything to me, or the cause's founder turns away from it," the mech revealed. "Starscream follows not the cause; ambition is the reason he served Lord Megatron."

They were walking towards a tall skyscraper glittering in yellow crystals. The sun was shining through the clouds, making the Energon illuminate the building in a lemon light. Beautiful it looked, no doubt, yet Mikaela still felt her heart ache at the thought of the beauty's creator.

"Mark my words, fleshling, Starscream's not the Decepticon you can **ever **rely upon. He is no fool: he will never show his dark side in a disadvantage," Soundwave continued. "But when he earns what he wants, do not expect him to obey at best. At worst, he'll betray you."

"I could say the same about you."

Mikaela stood closer to Soundwave upon hearing that voice. Her heart skipped a beat as Bumblebee jumped over a fallen column. The Autobot's optics focused on the human. He glared at his enemy; his right servo transformed into a Plasma Cannon that the 'Bot aimed at the Decepticon's chest.

Soundwave cracked his knuckles before a blaster took his right hand's place. "This battle's outcome shall be different than last time, Autobot," the mech envisioned. "No one is here to help you."

"Let Mikaela go, Decepticon," Bumblebee demanded, clenching his fist. "She knows nothing of the plans."

"Bumblebee, I'm—" Mikaela shouted, only to be interrupted by Soundwave.

"Do **not** interfere," the mech barked. "He's mine!"

The human hustled to the closest building. Mikaela got behind a kiosk and peeked from behind its door. She caught a glint of black on top of the tower. Laserbeak was eyeing the fight from the spire, his wings folded and neck bent. Mikaela crossed her fingers behind her back and gasped as Bumblebee punched Soundwave into the chest.

* * *

><p><strong>Whoa, it appears the Shifter's aren't Mikaela's main issue now. How is the Autobot-Decepticon fight going to end? And what is Starscream going to do with all those plane parts? Coming up in the next chapters!<strong>

**Both reviews and critique are more than appreciated. Help me improve the story and my writing. ^^**


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